I'm Not Running Anymore
by DrAftershave
Summary: Ryan & Calleigh. Calleigh must confront her feelings for the junior CSI and what he has to offer her in the name of love will surprise her. COMPLETE
1. Monday Morning

**A/N: I've written fanfic over the years and published them on various websites that I am/was a member of, so I'm pretty comfortable writing stories for the world to see. I was compelled to write a story about Ryan/Calleigh because I've haven't seen one on any of the CSI sites that I frequent. I'm pretty indifferent to fanfic couples on CSI: Miami. I haven't felt close to any of the Calleigh stories with Horatio, Eric or Speed for that matter. I figured a Ryan/Calleigh would balance things out a little bit. I don't expect to travel down this road again. I'm someone who likes to head for the ditch: a rougher ride but you meet more interesting people there.**

**Roger**

**P.S. I will post this per chapter. It also might be slightly erratic, due to writing this while I suffer from chronic insomnia and the fact that ideals for this story are coming up too fast for me to sort out and write down properly. Enjoy.**

**P.P.S. I went back and fixed Ryan's name. This is what happens when you write two fanfics at once and switch back and forth betwen the two and end up putting the wrong name in the chapter. I hope this clears up any confusion. Currently writing Chapter 2.  
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Disclaimer: CSI: Miami and all original characters owned by CBS and its partners.**

**CHAPTER 1**

**Monday morning, 6 a.m. Calleigh stifled a yawn as she looked over her paperwork for the third time in a hour. She came into work early as usual, when a case or something on her mind kept her from getting a good night of sleep. She always figured if she wasn't going to get any rest, she might as well be productive and go into work. She couldn't help being a workaholic. She felt restless and uneasy if she found time on her hands and had nothing to do. It always kept her mind busy if she was focusing on things that prevented her from thinking about her personal life. Probably because there wasn't much of a personal life to begin with.**

**Among friends and colleagues, she was very outgoing and friendly. Her personality would radiate strong and outward whenever and wherever it called for it. But when she was by herself, the loneliness seemed to creep in no matter how hard she tried to block it out. It was almost like staring into a void. Calleigh never liked thinking about her lack of relationships that weren't work/friend only related. She always felt that deep down inside, she was running away from contentment and happiness. She loved her job and the requirements of it always made her feel wanted and respected. Throwing herself into her work seemed to cover up (if only temporary) the void she always felt. Still, she wondered how long she could keep running.**

"**I see that you're in early again." Calleigh looked up to see her boss Horatio Caine, standing in the doorway of the lab. "That's the third time in a week you've been in before me. Anything wrong?" "No, there's nothing wrong," replied Calleigh, hoping that Horatio wouldn't pick up the tone in her voice indicating that she was lying. "Just want to get ahead on this shooting." "Calleigh, are you sure that is the reason why you're in early? Said Horatio, looking at her with a quizzed, pointed look in his eyes.**

**Crap, Calleigh thought to herself. He knows I'm lying. I really want to avoid this from getting any deeper. "Yes, Horatio. It's nothing that a good, solid day of hard work and coffee can't fix. I'm fine." "Well, if you need to talk about it, come see me in my office." And with that, Horatio turned around in the doorway and left. He cared about Calleigh and didn't like it when something was bothering her on a personal level. But he respected her decisions and would let her come to him if she need help or advice. Any other way he felt would be wrong. Another hour passed before others came in and started up work.**

"**Good morning, Cal." Eric said as he walked up to the table Calleigh was standing at. "Any cracks in the case?" "No," sighed Calleigh. "I've been looking over everything in the last two hours and I still feel that I'm still in one spot. I'll have to try another ballistics test and see if I missed something from the last one." "Missed something?" "I can't believe the great Calleigh Duquesne would overlook anything!" Eric said, jokingly. However, Calleigh shot him a 'don't mess with me' look that showed Eric that she was not open to fooling around this morning. Eric quickly got the message and switched gears. "Well, the evidence we have is inconclusive to the point that there may be a second gun involved. I'll go back out to the lake today and do another dive to see if I come up with anything new."**

"**Hey, you two. Horatio wants to see the three of us in his office." Calleigh froze and looked up. It was _him_. Ryan was standing at the door to the lab, talking at her and Eric. For a while now, she felt weird when she was in Ryan's presence. At first, she couldn't figure out why. When Ryan first joined CSI, she felt somewhat hostile because he was Speed's replacement. It wasn't him personally, she would have reacted the same way towards anybody in his position because she was close to Speed and when he was killed, it seemed to make her void even deeper. To have anybody stepping into Speed's place felt like some sort of violation. Over the course of a few months however, she began to warm up to Ryan little by little. She was impressed on how committed he was to his job and was flattered on how he would look up to her like a student would to a mentor. Anytime there was a problem, he would turn to her. It reminded her of her relationship with Horatio. Soon, she would surprise herself when she looked forward to seeing him around. For some reason, she felt warm inside when he would look at her and give her a smile. It was almost like a kiss to her soul.**

**After a while, she would secretly hope that she was put on assignments with Ryan. She wouldn't come out and ask to be with him because it felt awkward and she didn't want people to think the wrong idea because she thought of that herself and yes, that's exactly where it was going. She couldn't believe the way she was feeling. It was not like her, to have a crush on a coworker, yet also feel that this was more than a crush. After her relationship problems with Hagen, she promised herself that she wouldn't get involved again with someone she works with. Yet here she was, about to betray that promise. At times, she also felt conflicted because he was a little younger than her. Not more than a few years, but younger all the same. She also liked to feel strong and independent and in control of her surroundings. She felt at times she was losing that control when he was around. It would shock her when she would walk into work and catch herself looking forward to seeing him in one his geek-like outfits with that grin on his face like he was up to something naughty; or to hear one of his wisecracks about the case they were working on that would break the stress. Over time, Ryan seemed to give her a feeling inside that was always coming up much too short in her life.**

"**What does H. want?" The sound of Eric's voice shifted her back into reality. "I don't know," replied Ryan. "He stopped me in the stairway and told me to come down and get both of you upstairs." Eric looked over at Calleigh puzzled and she gave him a shrug. All three of them left the lab and made their way up to Horatio's office.**

**_to be continued..._  
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	2. The Beginning of a New Direction

**A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews. I wasn't sure if a Ryan/Calleigh fic would be accepted. I was hoping that there were others out there who wanted to see one. When I get the time, I'll combine all my notes together and post Chapter 3. I hope to have it up in a few days. Here is Chapter 2. Enjoy.**

**Roger**

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CHAPTER 2**

**As all three were walking down the hall towards Horatio's office with Eric and Ryan in front of her, Calleigh could not help but lower her sight down towards Ryan's backside. "He has a cute butt. I wonder what it looks like naked." She said to herself before she realized what she just thought. She felt shocked and a little angry at herself for thinking like a schoolgirl with a crush on a teacher. "Damn. Get your thoughts together girl. This is not the time or place to be thinking of something like that." Calleigh started forcing herself to think of work as the three of them entered Horatio's office and approached him sitting at his desk.**

"**You wanted to see us H.?" Asked Eric. "Yes, I did. Will you please sit down?" Responded Horatio as he looked over a file. "I want to know what is going on with the lake shooting." "Well, what we have so far is two victims, both shot multiple times. The bullet wounds on both victims are 'Through and Throughs', obviously leaving no bullets behind in either victim." Eric continued as he looked at the file that H. handed over. "The first victim has equal sized entry and exit wounds, while the second victim has the same size entry wounds of the first victim but has two different entry and exit wounds in addition to the other wounds. I'm thinking that there was a second gun that has not been recovered that was involved. Calleigh says that the ballistics test on the gun is inconclusive."**

"**Inconclusive?" Said Horatio as he looked at Calleigh. "Cal, do you know any reason why?" Calleigh could feel everyone's eyes shift over to her. She could especially feel Ryan looking at her and the thought of him staring right at her make her feel funny inside. "Um, well, I did a ballistics test on the gun yesterday and while some of the shots did match the size of the victims' wounds, the trajectory of the gunshots don't match up with the wounds. My shots fired straight, while the victims had bullet paths that were slightly jagged. It's possible that they fired in that path because the barrel has grooves in it that could have caused the bullets to move in a unusual manner, but my shots would have done the same. And they didn't." As she finished speaking, she sneaked a sideward glance at Ryan, who now had his eyes off of her and was looking at the file.**

"**But is it possible that the bullet paths are that way from the force of the bullets moving through the body?" Asked Horatio. "No," replied Calleigh. "I fired the gun from the same distance as it was fired at the victims. And the results come up very different. If the shooter used two guns at once, it would have shown in the evidence. And the angles show that it was one shooter. The patterns are too close together to be two shooters. I feel I'm overlooking something. I still feel that it is only one gun. But I can't rule out Eric's theory of having two guns involved." **

**Horatio looked over at Ryan. "Ryan, what did you get from the toxicology reports?" Horatio asked as Calleigh looked over at Ryan and shifted herself in her seat so she could directly face him. Her change in body language was not lost on Horatio, who watched as she leaned towards Ryan. "The toxicology report showed three different levels of gunpowder residue in the two different sets of gunshot wounds. Six of the wounds that appear to be the same have the same gunpowder residue, while four others have an uneven mixture. The two different gunshot wounds that don't match the other set have the mixture of the two different gunpowders, perfectly blended together." "Any ideals why the residue is unique? Ryan? Eric?" Asked Horatio as he looked back over at Calleigh, who at that point seemed to have the entire world shut out as she looked at Ryan. "Calleigh?" Horatio saying Calleigh's name snapped her to her senses as she slowly looked at Horatio. "Um…I don't really know. Like I said, I have to run another test." Calleigh fumbled with the words as they came out. She quickly realized that she was daydreaming at Ryan and wondered if Horatio and Eric caught on that she was focusing on him too much. **

**Horatio looked over at all three. "Here's what I would like the three of you to do for me. Eric, you take Ryan and go out to the lake with a crew and see if you can back up your second gun theory. Calleigh, go ahead and run another test with the gun to see if the results are the same with the first test. That is all. Let's get to work." And with that, all four stood up to leave the room. Seeing Eric and Ryan leave the room first gave Horatio the chance to speak directly to Calleigh, who was gathering her paperwork off of Horatio's desk. "You know, Calleigh…if you stare any longer at Wolfe, you'll burn a hole through him with your eyes." With those words, Calleigh froze in her tracks, feeling a chill run through her body. _He knew_. It was never for Horatio to intrude into her private life, but her behavior in his office left a door wide open for him to walk through. She collapsed down into the chair she just got up in and sighed, looking down at the floor.**

"**I'm sorry, H. I didn't mean to stare at Ryan. I, I just couldn't help it. It wasn't professional for me to act that way, especially towards a coworker. I don't want to cause any problems-" "Calleigh," interrupted Horatio, "It's ok. Calm down. Just let me ask you one question. For how long have you felt this way towards him?" "A few months now," replied Calleigh. "I don't know why. It's not normal for someone like me to act this way. It's starting to affect my feelings, my decisions. After John, I told myself that mixing romance with work is wrong. But I can't seem to help myself. Haven't you ever felt this way towards someone you've worked with?" The question caught Horatio off guard. He was not going to start talking about his feelings towards Yelina. That was something he was going to keep to himself for the time being. Very slowly, he responded with "I have." The look on his face and the tone of his voice told Calleigh that he was not going to be as open as she was trying to be and she knew not to steer the conversation into that direction. "Calleigh, I can't tell you what to do with your personal life. As your friend, I want you to be careful. I don't want to see you get burned. If you want to persue this, it's all up to you. I want you to be happy. However, as your boss-" "Uh-Oh" thought Calleigh. Here it comes. "-I would be concerned if your feelings would jeopardize any of the cases that we would work on, especially if you work directly with Ryan." "Horatio, you never have to worry about my work. I can keep it together. Personally…I just need to sort things out." And with those words Calleigh felt VERY uncomfortable because she was starting to reveal more of her than she wanted to.**

"**Cal, you just need to relax and put things in order. I know you can keep it together. I just wanted to hear it from you." Said Horatio, who by now was sitting in the chair Ryan was in. "Do you think he knows that you have feelings for him?" Calleigh looked back down at the floor. "H., I don't know. I think we're from two different worlds. In fact, I _know_ we're from two different worlds. If he does know, he's not letting on or he's being too professional to say anything because of our work relationship. There's so many things I don't know about him. For all I know, he could be seeing somebody." Horatio put his hand on Calleigh's shoulder. "Cal, you'll never know if you don't ask. You can always find a way to ask him anything you want to know at our get-together Friday." "H.- don't play Cupid." Said Calleigh with a smirk that let Horatio know that she was feeling better with their conversation. "Ok, fine." Said Horatio with a slight chuckle and a grin on his face. "Let me play boss instead: get back to work, Bullet Girl." Calleigh reached over and gave him a playful punch on his shoulder, feeling thankful to have Horatio around to confide in her feelings with and to let off a little steam. She got up and headed to the door. "Horatio?" "Yes, Cal?" Horatio said as he got up himself and walked around to his side of the desk. "Thank you for lending me your ear." She replied as she turned and walked away.**

"**Calleigh, the pleasure is always mine."**

**_to be continued_…**


	3. Two Sides of the Same Coin

**A/N: Here is Chapter 3. I tried posting it last night, but the site wouldn't let me log in. I plan to bring in more of the romance (or at least the start of it) in the next chapter. I just wanted to flesh the back story out a little more so it's not just a romantic encounter between Ryan and Calleigh. Otherwise, the story would only be 2 chapters. Thanks for the kind reviews. Enjoy.**

**Roger**

**P.S. It might take me a while to post Chapter 4. Please be patient.**

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CHAPTER 3**

**Meanwhile, Eric and Ryan were conducting another search at the lake for more evidence they might have missed the first time around. The team had split up into two, with Eric leading two men on dives in the area where the bodies were found. That left Ryan on the shore, also with two men of his own, looking around in the area where the gun was found. Progress was slow, due to a strong wind whipping a cold front of air towards the shore, despite being a hot and humid day. Ryan could not help but curse to himself every time the wind would stir the sand on the shoreline around, occasionally blowing the sand into his eyes. "Eric got the easy job." Ryan thought to himself as he walked around the area looking again for any proof of a second weapon. Finding nothing that the CSI team didn't collect and photograph from before, he walked back to the docks to where Eric was waiting. **

"**Any luck?" Asked Ryan. "Yes and no," replied Eric. "We didn't find another gun, but we did find multiple shell casings that may fit the gun we have back at the lab. We didn't find them before now because they were most likely buried in the silt below. I assume the wind that's moving the lake around caused enough change in the currents to uncover the casings. Any luck on your end?" "No," answered Ryan. "the shore is clean of any evidence. If there was something we overlooked, the winds removed any trace of it." Ryan walked over to the evidence that Eric and his crew had collected. He picked up a couple of the bags, looking at the casings. "They definitely look like they fit our gun. However, some of these casings are too small for the caliber of the gun at the lab." "It's possible that they did belong to a second gun that we did not find, but we won't know until Calleigh takes a look at them." Responded Eric.**

_**Calleigh. **_**Eric mentioning her name made Ryan think back to the meeting Eric, Calleigh and himself had this morning with Horatio. He couldn't figure out why she was looking at him so intently when he was talking. Calleigh always stuck to detail and let nothing pass her by, but he felt a little uneasy trying to explain the readings to Horatio and noticing out of the corner of his eye her staring at him. Come to think of it, she had been paying attention to him much more stronger than usual lately. Ryan couldn't figure out why. He thought maybe he was not paying to detail enough on the job and Calleigh took it upon herself to watch him more closely. Although he liked getting attention…well, any attention from a woman like Calleigh, he felt somewhat annoyed that she might still not trust him to be a worthy replacement for Speedle**__

"**Ryan?" Ryan broke out of his train of thought and turned around. Eric had walked over to where Ryan was looking at the evidence. "How about we call it a day and return to the lab?" Said Eric, who by now was out of his wetsuit and had packed his equipment away. "Sure." Replied Ryan, who was already putting the new evidence into a container to transport back to the lab. Eric and Ryan ended up in the same Hummer together on the way back and started talking about the usual "guy things". "I can't believe that the Heat missed the last shot in Saturday night's game!" Eric said, somewhat heated. "Didn't you enjoy seeing the game in person, anyway?" Asked Ryan, who turned from looking out the window to Eric. "Yeah. Cynthia and I had a great time." Answered Eric. "Cynthia wanted to know why you haven't returned any of her roommate's messages. I told her you were too busy at work with a case." "Thanks." Said Ryan, who started to look straight ahead. "I don't understand why don't you just call Sara back and tell her that you're not interested." Eric replied. Ryan looked back over at Eric. "It's not that easy, Eric. I appreciate the fact that you go out of your way to set me up with a blind date, but I just don't seem to feel anything for her." "C'mon," Eric said with a mischievous look at Ryan, "It's not like you go out with a girl and by the end of the first date, you're ready to marry her. Besides, it gives you a chance to get 'the Hook-Up'." Eric leaned over and gave Ryan a nudge in the ribs with his elbow.**

"**Uh, 'the Hook-Up' sounds great, but I'm not really into that on the first date." Ryan said in a slightly nervous voice. "What?" Eric replied, looking surprised. "I mean, I always don't go out on a date looking to score, but from what I heard from Cynthia, Sara thought you were cute enough to jump." Ryan swore he could feel himself sinking in the passenger seat after hearing that remark and thought of something that would change the direction the conversation was heading into. "It's just not that easy for me, Eric. I just get too nervous around girls sometimes. It didn't help that we went to a club and she wanted to dance and I didn't want to." "You don't know how to dance?" Asked Eric. Ryan straightened himself in his seat. "I know how to dance. I just prefer to slow dance. It's not intimate enough for me to stand 5 feet in front of someone and move like I'm having a seizure while a Drum and Bass groove gets pounded into my head." Eric laughed at Ryan's comment. "Ryan, I understand where you're coming from. But you have to be a little more lenient. Sara told Cynthia that the whole time on the dance floor, you were sweating like crazy. But you were _standing still_." "I just don't think Sara and I were a match." Explained Ryan. "She was nice, but she isn't what I'm looking for."**

"**Who _are_ you looking for?" Eric asked, with a somewhat serious look on his face. "Someone who likes their dates to go on and on about how the Kennedy Shooting is scientifically possible with one bullet if the speed and angle is just right?" "Sara told Cynthia about that part of the date, huh?" Ryan said, in a low voice. "Yeah, Ryan…she did. You've got to stop talking about science when you're out on a date. It kills the mood." "But Eric, I just don't know what to talk about with a girl in a personal setting. I get too nervous and I end up talking about what I know." Ryan replied as he looked forward again. Eric looked back at Ryan. "Dude, just talk about anything. Leave work and work-related stories out of the equation. Sure, women like to know about what you do for a living, but they don't want to hear nothing but that for an whole evening. Especially stories about presidential assassinations. The only girl I know who likes to talk about guns and shootings all the time is Calleigh."**

_**Calleigh. **_**Again, she invaded Ryan's thoughts. He thought back again to the meeting they had before he and Eric went to the lake. How he wanted to stop talking and just look back at her. He always felt an attraction towards Calleigh since the first day they met. At first, he was put off by her behavior when he was working on her father's case, but he understood why she acted the way she did. He would catch himself from time to time looking at her when he should be concentrating on the task at hand. He wanted so badly to know what she was like outside of work. However, Ryan would never dare ask Calleigh about her personal life. He felt that one, it was none of his business asking a coworker about their life away from work and two, he knew he would have no chance of anyone like Calleigh even wanting to be involved with him outside of a work-related atmosphere. He never felt lucky when it came to women. He always grew up a nerd. He endured all the pain and teasing when it came to his image and lifestyle. It wasn't until he went to college that he made a conscious effort to fit in. He changed his eyewear to contacts and started to workout regularly which added muscle to his still wiry body. He couldn't help but still feel awkward because emotionally he forced himself not to feel any emotions at all. He wouldn't need a wall to hide his feelings from people when he had no feelings to begin with. It kept him from having the courage to ask women out or to even start a long-term relationship. Ryan figured if he never asked a girl out, he wouldn't get rejected. The only girl he was close to in college was his friend Christine. The fact that they were considered outsiders because of who they were made them close friends to this day. Ryan was comfortable around Christine because they both knew that there would be no relationship between them, other than platonic.**

**Ryan was sick of being alone. It got to the point where a couple of times he was going to say 'the hell with it' and straight out ask Calleigh if she wanted to go out on a date with him. If she was with somebody, or said no, at least he could feel good about himself for at least asking. But, as usual, he would chicken out or let his over-analyzing judgment get the best of him. Still, his curiosity of Calleigh was getting to him and he figured it wouldn't hurt if he asked Eric a question. "Eric?" "Yes, Ryan?" Answered Eric. "Did you look at Calleigh this morning when I was talking to H.?" "No," said Eric. "I was looking at paperwork when you were talking. Why? Was there something wrong?" "No. I was just wondering about something. It's not important. Never mind." Ryan replied as the Hummer pulled into headquarters. The two of them got out and disappeared inside the building.**

_**to be continued…**_


	4. A Chance Encounter Part 1

**A/N: As I was writing Chapter 4 I realized that it was turning into the length of two chapters. Not wanting to edit the chapter down, I decided to split it in half and rewrite the second half slightly, turning it into a new chapter (Chapter 5). I didn't want to remove anything because I liked the way the story was developing. I hope anyone who reads these two new chapters will enjoy them. Please read and review. Thanks for your time. Chapter 6 will be up hopefully within the week.**

**Roger**

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CHAPTER 4**

**Calleigh hated bars. Her feelings towards bars and their atmosphere were because of her father. For years now, she would get a call every once in a while from a bartender or someone who got the information to call her number and tell her that her father was passed out, incoherent to where he couldn't leave under his own will or even worse, was being violent and threatening to the people who had the misfortune to be in the same bar he was. She always had to come to the rescue and bail him out. Every time her cellphone would ring and the caller I.D. said 'Caller Unknown', she knew it was yet another bar calling. Calling for her to come and take daddy home. She was tired and angry of walking in and feeling peoples' eyes staring at her, telling her silently what an asshole her father is. Most times, she and another person would help her take him to her car where she would then take him home where he would sleep it off. Sometimes no one would help her at all and she would have to practically drag him out. Afterwards, her father would apologize and swear to her that it would never happen again. Then he would leave and start the cycle all over. After a while, when she would walk into a bar for any other reason, she would unconsciously start looking around to see if her father was there. Calleigh was also afraid that she would be at a bar with someone and her father would show up out of nowhere and eventually ruin the moment for her. She felt she was starting to develop a social phobia towards bars and it made her sad and angry to think that she was letting her father do this to her. She loved her father so much and the thought of him hurting her this badly caused her to breakdown into tears at times. Her father's situation always turned her back emotionally into the scared little girl she remembered being in Louisiana; watching her parents fight and running away when daddy would get drunk and threaten to hurt her again. It was akin to having a wound heal over only to have the scab ripped off again and again and again.**

**Horatio knew of her problems with her father all too well, yet she held back telling him the most painful parts because she didn't want anyone to know how much she hurt inside. It would leave her too emotionally naked and shattered. If she didn't have Horatio around to confide in, she felt that the void would swallow her whole. Calleigh wanted so badly to confide in someone who would take the pain away in her life and make it better. Friends and colleagues could only take away the pain so much. Her lovers in the past would make her feel complete for only so long before the relationship would fall apart, leaving her more empty inside than before. It didn't matter to her that everyone else thought that she was a strong woman. All humans, regard of their outward appearances, have a fragile inner self. That inner self could only be strong if it was nurtured and supported by love. And if the lack of a certain kind of love was not there, it will eventually eat away at any other kind of love inside until there was nothing left. It was draining to Calleigh to be one kind of person to everyone else and be another when she was by herself. **

**It was now Thursday night and Calleigh remembered that the crew was going to the Bayview Pool Bar & Grill tomorrow night for their monthly get-together. Horatio always considered his crew like a family and he enjoyed taking them out somewhere to relax and to have personal conversations outside of work. The workloads that everyone went through prevented the group from going out more than once a month and Calleigh knew how happy Horatio was to get some personal time with everybody. Despite the fact that she would be in yet another bar, Horatio was kind enough to make reservations in the dining area. She never told Horatio not to have the get-togethers at a bar because it was not for her to tell him to adjust plans for her sake. But bless his heart, he would take everyone to a well respected place where she wouldn't feel uncomfortable and would let her unwind and have a good time over drinks. Calleigh felt blessed and lucky to work with her coworkers. She thought of Ryan again and smiled. Earlier in the day, Eric told Ryan and Calleigh somewhat risqué joke and while she thought it was funny, she got a bigger laugh over the look on Ryan's face when it was clear he had no idea what the punchline meant. Remembering seeing Ryan with a 'deer caught in the headlights' look made her giggle to herself. "God, he's so innocent." She thought while wondering if tomorrow night would be a good time to open up to him and see if there was any response.**

**Suddenly, thinking about opening up to Ryan made her feel a little worried. She wanted more than anything to be with him and yet, she wasn't sure if he would accept her or reject her. Never before with a man had Calleigh decided to lay everything on the line and hope for the best. She didn't know what to do if he were to say no and walk away. She didn't think of a Plan B. Calleigh likened it to placing all of her money on black and hoping that the little white marble spinning around in the roulette wheel would drop down into the spot that would make her a winner. She's only been with a few men romantically all of her life and come to think of it, they chased her. This was the very first time _she_ was chasing after someone. Calleigh felt that something was telling her that Ryan was the one to take the chance with. It felt too right not to take it. **

**The growling of Calleigh's stomach told her it was time to call it a day and to go get something to eat. It was already after 9 p.m. and she had been working since 7 in the morning. She had a craving for some Italian food, so she called the restaurant she always went to get her 'fix'. "Thank you for calling Lombardi's," said the voice on the other side of the line. "How may I help you?" "Oh, hi. Yes, I would like to place an order for pick-up." Calleigh said, trying to stifle a yawn as she spoke. "I would like a single serving of Fettuccine al Limone con Pollo." "Ok. Anything else for you ma'am?" Asked the woman taking the order. "No, thanks. That will be all." Replied Calleigh. "Your total is 10.64 with tax. It should be ready for you in 20-25 minutes. Thank you for your order." Said the woman. "Thank you." Calleigh said in return and hung up the phone. Calleigh then gathered up her personal belongings and went out to her car.**

**Lombardi's was a restaurant located in the Bayside Marketplace that looked out over Biscayne Bay and Calleigh loved going there from time to time to enjoy a nice Italian meal with a glass of red wine. She liked to sit at a table by the window and look out over the bay. The only other time she felt so at peace was when she was at the firing range. For some reason the atmosphere of the restaurant reminded her of her favorite childhood movie "Lady and the Tramp". As Calleigh drove to the restaurant, she thought again of Ryan and wondered if they would ever share a plate of spaghetti and end up kissing each other because they both grabbed the same noodle. The thought of her lips touching Ryan's made her grin from ear to ear. She pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and walked inside. It was quiet inside, given the fact that it was almost 10 on a work night. Calleigh walked over to the pick-up area and inquired about her order. She was told that it would be another 10 minutes due to one of their ovens going out and it put them behind a little on getting the orders done on time. She asked if it was ok to wait in the dining area so she could look out the window and watch the lights out on the bay. After being told that it was ok, Calleigh started to walk through the restaurant. As she looked over to the right side of the room, she stopped in her tracks. Sitting at one of the small tables alone was none other than Ryan himself, eating a bowl of soup while reading a book. **

**_to be continued_...**


	5. A Chance Encounter Part 2

**CHAPTER 5**

"**I can't believe it," Calleigh thought to herself. "If this isn't a sign, I don't know what is." Calleigh walked over and as she got closer, she noticed that Ryan was reading the book "Relativity : The Special and the General Theory" by Albert Einstein. "I see that you didn't get enough of the book from high school." Calleigh said with a smile. Ryan looked up to see Calleigh standing there with a big smile on her face. He was shocked to see her there, standing right in front of him. Ryan quickly composed himself. "Well, hello there Stranger." Ryan managed to get out before he felt that the lump in his throat would keep him from saying anything coherent. He swallowed and placed down the book. "What brings you out here tonight?" "The food, silly." Answered Calleigh. "The food. Oh, yeah. Right." Ryan let out as he realized what a stupid question he just asked. "Where were you sitting?" "Oh, I'm not eating here tonight." Replied Calleigh. "I ordered take-out and I came by to pick it up. It's still not ready yet." Ryan noticed that Calleigh was still standing. He felt like an idiot for not asking her if she wanted to sit down. He quickly decided to change the situation.**

"**Calleigh, please have a seat." Ryan said as he got up to pull out a chair for her. Calleigh felt happy that he was being a gentleman. "I'm not intruding, am I?" Calleigh asked, quickly forgetting to sit by the bay window. "No, I don't mind. I would enjoy having your company while you wait." Ryan answered. Calleigh sat down and pulled her chair in as Ryan walked back around to his seat. "So, your book…" Calleigh said as she gestured her hand towards it. "Oh, yeah. I've read this quite a bit since high school. I can't put it down. It's a good read." Ryan said, in a tone that sounded like he was defending himself. Calleigh noticed the tone in his voice. "Oh, I wasn't making fun of your choice of reading material, Ryan. I myself have a copy of "Classic Handguns of the 20th Century" that I've read so much, the pages are starting to fall apart." Ryan chuckled at her remark. "It's ok, Calleigh. I just didn't want you to think that I'm a dork." "Well, you're a very sexy dork." Calleigh thought to herself as she looked at Ryan. "Don't worry." Calleigh replied. "You're talking to someone who wore so much headgear when she was 13, it would have set off all of the metal detectors in the state of Louisiana." Ryan laughed at her comment and felt much more relaxed. "You had all the gear, huh? I can't imagine seeing that on you." "Well, if I didn't have the braces, I wouldn't have this beautiful smile now, would I?" Calleigh said as she smiled. Ryan stared at her. "God, she's so beautiful." Ryan thought to himself as he looked at her face in the lamplight. "It hurts to look at something so beautiful and not be able to touch it with my hands." Ryan sensed someone else walking up to his table.**

"**Miss, here's your order. Sorry for the delay." The worker said as he handed Calleigh a bag containing her dinner. "It's ok. Thank you." Replied Calleigh. "Well, Ryan, it's was nice talking to you while I waited. Very nice. Thanks for the company." Calleigh looked inside the bag to make sure her order was ok and started to get up. Ryan looked at Calleigh as she started to rise from the table. "Don't be a fool, Ryan. Ask her to stay. ASK HER!" Ryan's inner voice was so loud, he thought the whole world could hear him. "Uh, Calleigh?" Ryan said in a shaky voice. "Yes?" Answered Calleigh as she looked down at him. "Calleigh, would you like to stay and eat your dinner with me? That is, if you didn't have any plans." Ryan looked down at the table as he continued to speak. "I would greatly enjoy having you around to talk to while I finish eating." Calleigh could not believe what she just heard: He asked to her to eat with him! She felt her heart jump in her chest. "Ryan, I would love to! I hope I won't be a distraction." Calleigh responded, hoping not to sound too excited. "Well, you are a worthwhile distraction to me." Ryan said as he rolled his eyes. "Ha ha." Calleigh said in a mocking tone, letting Ryan know that she knew that he was joking. Calleigh sat back down. She turned to the worker still standing next to the table. "I guess I will be eating this here. May I get a set of utensils and a iced tea please?" "You can put the tea on my bill." Ryan said to the worker. "Ryan, you don't have to pay for my tea. I have the money." Calleigh mentioned as she reached for her purse. "No, I would like to pay for it Calleigh. It's the least that I can do for having you sit with me tonight." Replied Ryan. "Aw, thank you sweetie." Calleigh said as she placed his hand on his forearm. Her touch sent what felt like a million volts of electricity through Ryan's body. He couldn't help but smile at the sensation. As the worker left to get Calleigh's tea and silverware, she pulled her food out of the bag and opened the container up. Ryan picked up his spoon and took another sip of his soup. "Do you come here a lot, Ryan?" Calleigh asked. "Quite a bit." Answered Ryan. "I usually come here every Wednesday, but I worked so late last night, it was closed by the time I was done at the lab. They have a Tomato & Basil soup to die for." "To die for, huh?" Responded Calleigh. " I guess that makes it an appropriate meal for a CSI." Ryan laughed at her comment. The worker came back and placed Calleigh's tea and silverware on the table. "Thank you." Calleigh said to the worker as she started to stir her food up with the fork. As she took a bite, Ryan placed his spoon back down in the bowl. "How about you, Calleigh? You come here a lot?"**

"**Yes, I come here quite a bit myself." Calleigh said as she picked up another bite. "I just love the place. It's so quiet and peaceful. I love sitting by the window and looking out at the bay. If I don't have the time to sit down, I'll still stop by to pick up an order." "That's nice." Ryan mentioned as he took another sip. "Say, Calleigh…I noticed on the schedule that you have tomorrow off. You still coming to our get-together tomorrow night?" "I sure am," answered Calleigh who felt happy that Ryan had asked her if she was coming. "I enjoy hanging out with the crew outside of work. It means a lot to Horatio and come to think of it, it means a lot to me too. I'm glad that we get to sit together and talk about anything." Ryan's waiter came up to the table to give Ryan his bill. "Is there anything else you want Ryan?" "No thanks, Craig. I'm fine. Thank you." Ryan said as he reached for his wallet. He pulled out his money and handed it to the waiter. "Here you go, Craig. Keep the change." "Thank you, Ryan. You have a good night. You also have a good night, ma'am." The waiter said as he looked over at Calleigh. "Thank you." Responded Calleigh. Both Ryan and Calleigh were done with their meal. Calleigh got up from the table as Ryan picked up his book and also stood up. "Thanks for letting me sit with you while I ate my dinner." Calleigh said to Ryan as he was putting his jacket on. "No, Calleigh, thank _you_." Ryan said as he adjusted his jacket. "It meant a lot to me that you decided to sit and eat with me tonight. Would you like me to walk you to your car?" Calleigh could feel her heart beating fast. "Ryan, I would like that very much." She answered as she blushed. She turned away hoping that Ryan didn't see her face turning bright red. They both walked out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.**

**The two of them approached Calleigh's car and walked around to the driver's side. Calleigh pulled out her keys and looked at Ryan. "Where are you parked?" She asked. "Oh, I'm over on the other side of the lot." Ryan answered as he pointed out his car. Calleigh reached over and placed her hand again on his forearm. Ryan caught his breath as he realized what she did. He looked down at her hand on his arm and then up at her face. "Ryan, thanks again for letting me sit with you. It meant a lot to me." Calleigh said in a low voice. "You're welcome, Calleigh. It meant a lot to me too." Ryan spoke like he was trying to talk with a mouth full of molasses. He was very nervous. "I, uh, look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at our get-together." "Me too." Calleigh replied in a voice that was almost now a near whisper. She was acting very nervous herself. Then, without thought, she slowly raised herself up on her tip-toes and gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek. Ryan thought his heart was going to explode as he looked at Calleigh lowering herself back down. She gave him a quick look and as she looked away, composed herself. "Well, I better get going. You take care, Ryan. I'll see you tomorrow." Calleigh stepped into her car and started the engine. Ryan was speechless. All he could do to was reach out and shut the door of Calleigh's car. He took two steps back and looked at her through the window. Calleigh looked back and smiled. She waved bye as she backed up and turned the car towards the entrance of the parking lot. **

**Ryan raised up his hand and waved back as she turned to face the road and drive off into the night. "Did tonight really happen?" Ryan thought to himself as he gathered his thoughts and slowly walked to his car. As she drove herself home, Calleigh broke into tears of joy. "Thank you, thank you." She muttered to herself as the tears ran down her face. She wiped the tears away with a Kleenex and composed herself. She soon arrived at her place and as she walked up the steps, she felt all the stress that had built up over the last few weeks leave her body. **

**For the first time in a week, Calleigh slept soundly through the whole night.**

**_to be continued_…**


	6. The Beginning of a New Love

**A/N: This chapter is slightly risqué. Not by much. The very risqué parts will come up in a future chapter. I promise.**

**Roger**

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CHAPTER 6**

**It was now Friday evening and Ryan had been working hard all day, looking forward to the get-together that night at the Bayview Pool Bar & Grill. He hadn't seen Calleigh since their chance encounter last night at Lombardi's. He kept thinking over and over how happy he felt having her sit with him at dinner. Watching her laugh, watching her smile…he never felt so alive before in his life. His thoughts kept returning to the parking lot, where she kissed him on the cheek. He so badly wanted to move her mouth from his cheek to his lips. But he was so stunned by the whole incident, all he could do was stand there. He wondered if he would ever have the chance to kiss her. He wished that Calleigh was at work so they could talk about last night. He wasn't sure if he wanted to discuss the situation at the bar with the rest of the team sitting around them. Ryan was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't notice Eric standing there, talking to him. "-you process the residue yet? Ryan?" Eric paused, then waved a hand in front of Ryan's face, to get his attention. "Ryan?" "What?" Said Ryan, snapping to his senses. "I said, Did you process the residue yet?" Repeated Eric. "Almost done." Replied Ryan. "Sorry about that. I sort of drifted off there for a moment. I'm just burned out from the workweek." "Man, tell me about it." Eric said as he reached over to pull the results from the printer. "I'm so burned out myself. I can't wait to go out tonight and just cut loose." Eric started looking at the paperwork. "Hey, Calleigh was right about her hunch of only one gun for the lake shooting. Her test results with the shells I found show that the shooter loaded the cartridge with bullets of two different calibers. The smaller shells fired, but due to their size, tumbled through the barrel and left grooves as they went out. It easily explains why the two wounds were different. The bullets would have entered the body at a weird angle instead of a straight path. The new toxicology report confirms her findings."**

**Eric started walking to the door of the lab. "I'm going to take the results up to H. and then I'm going home to take a shower. See you tonight." "See you tonight." Ryan answered as he rubbed his eyes. Ryan looked at his watch. It was now 5:15. The get-together wasn't until 7. He looked over at the phone on the desk and wondered if he should call Calleigh. It wouldn't hurt, he thought to himself, if they talked about last night so there wouldn't be any awkwardness when they would see each other at the bar. He picked up the phone and dialed her home number. The phone rang about 5 times, then started playing Calleigh's message for her answering machine. Ryan listened to her greeting. He just loved that southern drawl of hers. It was so full of warmth and happiness. It wasn't until a minute of silence passed that Ryan realized that he was still on the line and hadn't said anything. He quickly hung up the phone. "Are you still coming to the get-together, Ryan?" Ryan turned around to see Horatio standing there, his jacket hanging over his left arm. "Yes, H. I still plan to be there tonight." "That's good." Horatio answered with a slight smirk. Ryan always felt uncomfortable when Horatio smirked at him. It usually meant that he was up to something or he knew a secret. Ryan knew that Horatio was a very smart man and the thought that Horatio could sometimes figure out things so easily made Ryan feel uneasy at times. "Are you done with all of your work?" Asked Horatio. "Yes I am." Replied Ryan, as he looked around. "I just need to put everything away." "Ok. Glad to hear that you can still make it. See you in a couple of hours." Horatio said as he put on his jacket and left the lab. Ryan let out a deep sigh and started to clean up.**

**Calleigh was subjecting herself to a long hot shower. She stood there with her eyes closed, as the water slowly ran down her hair and onto her body. She let her thoughts wander back to last night and how happy she felt sitting with Ryan. He looked so adorable from across the table. She remembered the look on his face when she kissed him on the cheek. She wanted so badly to kiss him on the lips then, but she didn't know his personal feelings towards her until the kiss. She didn't want to rush things, for fear that she would be wrong and would hurt him which in turn, might cause their friendship and their work relationship to fall apart. After all, he could have just been kind enough to ask her to sit with him as a friend. However, his look of shock, followed by acceptance and want, told her that he wanted her. There was no doubt that he had feelings for her, Calleigh thought to herself, she now just wanted to know how deep the feelings ran. She still didn't know too much about his personal life and last night was not the right time to start asking about his dating life. She almost changed her mind earlier about taking the day off from work and show up anyway, just to see Ryan. She felt it was time to open up a little more and possibly take this chance in her life up to another level. She was hoping to talk to him in private about last night, so it wouldn't be awkward at the get-together. **

**She quickly decided that it wouldn't be right to show up on a day off and confront Ryan. The next best thing she decided to do was to call up Horatio and invite him out to lunch so she could talk to somebody who knew and understood her feelings towards Ryan. The whole lunch consisted of her babbling on and on to Horatio about the dinner and over-analyzing the situation. Horatio had eventually calmed her down and told her that she had nothing to lose by going forward. Horatio always had a calming effect on her. Anytime she would go too far out, H. always would have a way to reel her back in. She smiled to herself as she thought how lucky Horatio was always around for her. In a way, he made up for all the things her father had major shortcomings with. As Calleigh turned around in the shower and let the water fully hit her in the back, she thought of what it would be like to have Ryan in the shower with her, slowly washing her body. She started to feel a warmth inside of her that was not from the hot water. Calleigh decided to act on the feelings that she was having as she touched herself. It was a good, long time before she got back to the basics of a shower. She was in the middle of washing the soap off her body when she heard the phone ring. Not wanting to step out at the time, she let the machine answer it. **

**She finally stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and then wrapped one around her hair. Calleigh went into the kitchen to play the answering machine that now had 1 message blinking on its screen. The machine played the message that was nothing but silence, then the sound of someone hanging up. "That's strange. Must've been a wrong number." Calleigh thought to herself. She looked at the time and realized that she was in the shower for a good 40 minutes. Calleigh headed for the bedroom to get dressed for the night. If anything, she thought, she was going to wear something that would drive Ryan (and maybe the other men) crazy. She put on a pair of form fitting blue jeans, followed by a white t-shirt that stopped about an inch above her waist, exposing a little bit of her stomach. Calleigh looked at herself in the mirror and blushed, thinking about how she was dressed. She didn't care. She was in love and was going to show off her beauty. She wanted to break free of the "sterile, controlled environment" she was used to being in. However, her old-fashioned views kicked in at the last moment and she reached for a black vest to wear over her shirt. Calleigh sprayed on her favorite perfume and brushed her hair until it was perfectly straight. "No ponytail tonight," she said to herself as she made her final adjustments. Calleigh usually wore her hair up when she went out but she felt relaxed enough to let her hair hang down. **

**Calleigh walked back into the kitchen to grab her purse and keys. She took one final look at herself in the mirror by the front door and left. She got into her car and headed straight for the bar. Arriving at the bar, she found a spot and parked. Calleigh got out and immediately looked for Ryan's car, to see if he was there. Sure enough, she spotted it parked next to Horatio's. Calleigh felt an excitement run through her that she had rarely felt before. "Here goes nothing," she thought to herself as she walked up to the front door.**

**_to be continued_…**


	7. A Good Time For All

**A/N: I'll try to get Chapter 8 up by next weekend. I'll be out of town until then. Thanks for reading.**

**Roger**

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CHAPTER 7**

**Calleigh walked through the front door of the bar and stopped. She stood in the entry way that led into the main bar area and started scanning the room for the crew, ignoring the growing number of male eyes looking at her. Suddenly, she caught in the corner of the eye a hand waving around. Calleigh turned her head to see Valera waving at her. Walking over to the table, she looked at who was sitting there: Valera, Eric and Horatio, who was pouring Eric another glass of beer from one of the pitchers at their table. Obviously, she wondered where Ryan and Alexx were. "Where's Ryan and Alexx?" Calleigh asked as she took the empty chair next to Valera. Valera raised her arm and pointed over to the pool tables where Alexx and Ryan were playing a game of pool. Calleigh looked at Ryan, who was standing still and leaning on his pool cue, with a frown on his face as Alexx was busy circling the pool table, lining up and sinking shot after shot after shot. Calleigh let out a laugh and said to Eric, "I see that Ryan is learning his lesson to not play pool with Alexx." Eric snickered as he spoke back to Calleigh. "We all decided that tonight was the night Ryan would 'get his cherry popped' and get his ass kicked by Alexx. He made the mistake of taking up Alexx's challenge to a pool game. I bet he now knows why everyone was quiet when she asked." "Did they place a bet?" Asked Calleigh, who shifted in her seat to get a better view of Ryan. "Of course." Answered Eric. "They bet that the loser would buy the next round of pitchers. The icing on the cake was when Alexx pulled out a 20 and waved it in front of Ryan and told him that it was his if he could make one shot." "He is _so_ screwed. The poor baby." Calleigh barely managed to get the words out before breaking down in laughter, clearly enjoying the moment.**

"**I see that having the day off sure put you in a good mood." Valera said as she pushed her glass over to Horatio, who picked it up and started to pour beer into it. "Oh, I definitely got my batteries recharged," replied Calleigh, who took a good sip of her beer. "It also helped that I went out to lunch with a great friend and got a lot of things off of my chest." "Hey, I almost forgot to tell you that you can write out the check for your 'therapy session' to _Dr._ Horatio Caine," Horatio said as he looked at Calleigh and then quickly winked at her so she knew he was not being serious. "I'll be generous and knock off 10 percent of your bill since you bought lunch." Calleigh stuck her tongue out at Horatio, who simply grinned. Eric and Valera laughed. Horatio was happy that they were enjoying themselves. The four of them looked over at Alexx as she was now walking back to the table with a big smile on her face. Calleigh looked back over at Ryan to see what he was doing. Ryan was still standing by the pool table, shaking his head with a look of disbelief on his face. Her eyes followed him as he walked over to the cue rack to put his and Alexx's cue sticks away. Alexx sat herself down next to Horatio and pulled out the very same 20 dollar bill that she put up for her bet to Ryan. "Guess who got to keep her money?" Alexx said in a teasing tone. Everyone at the table laughed. Alexx picked up a pitcher to pour herself another drink. Calleigh then realized that since Alexx had sat down next to Horatio, Ryan would be sitting next to _her_. Calleigh felt her heart beat faster. She quickly sat up straight and shook her head to let some of her long hair hang down on one side of her face. Calleigh reached down to her vest and unbuttoned it, feeling comfortable enough to wear it open. She looked up at everybody to see if they were paying attention to what she was doing. Eric and Valera were looking at Alexx as she was talking about her pool game, so they didn't notice anything. And then she looked at Horatio. Horatio was nodding his head to Alexx's story to show that he was paying attention, but he was staring straight at Calleigh, with a slight smirk on his face.**

"**There's that smirk of his again. He knows what I'm doing." Calleigh thought to herself as she looked right back at Horatio. She wrinkled her nose at Horatio and turned her attention back to what Ryan was doing. Ryan was now heading back towards the table, looking down at his feet. Ryan lifted his head to see who was at the table. His face brightened up when he saw Calleigh sitting there, then felt a wave of fear overcome him when he realized that she was sitting next to the only empty seat. In all the times that they've all gone out, Ryan purposely made sure that he didn't sit next to Calleigh for the fear that he couldn't keep it together being that close to her and end up saying something inappropriate, due to nerves. He could barely muster the nerve as it was to look across at her when they would go out to the bars. He would only look at Calleigh if she directly talked to him, but he would never start up a conversation with her. At work he was fine with talking to her all the time, as long as it was work-related. However, when they were out together in public and away from work, he couldn't deal with the stress that a personal connection would bring up and would keep quiet or talk to someone else at the table. Calleigh sensed this at first when he started going out with the team. She thought he was being shy because he was new and didn't want to make a wrong impression. After a while, she noticed that he would start a conversation with everyone else but her. Calleigh at first took this the wrong way, thinking he was just being rude. But one day at a get-together, she realized that when she would yet again start a conversation with Ryan he would act jittery and avoid looking at her for more than a few seconds when they talked. She had a feeling that he had developed a crush on her. His actions every time they talked since then proved her right and in a way, pushed her thoughts about Ryan into another direction she had never thought of before. **

**Ryan kept walking towards the table. He wasn't sure what to do. He was still amazed at himself for finally getting the nerve last night at Lombardi's to have Calleigh sit with him when he ate, but she didn't sit _right_ next to him. Besides, it was a private moment that didn't have the rest of the team sitting around the both of them, watching their every move and listening to every word. And the fact that Calleigh kissed him afterwards changed everything. Since he didn't get the chance to talk about last night before the get-together, he wasn't sure at what was going to happen. "I guess tonight will be the ultimate challenge to keep it together," Ryan muttered under his breath. "It's time that I stood up to it and took a chance." Ryan looked up and his eyes caught Calleigh looking right back at him. "God, her eyes are beautiful. So full of happiness and life. I could spend hours staring at them." Ryan thought to himself as Calleigh placed a huge smile on her face. He pulled out the chair and sat down next to Calleigh. "Hey there, stranger." Calleigh said to Ryan as he sat down and pulled his chair in. Ryan turned to face Calleigh. "Hi, Calleigh. Did you enjoy your day off?" "I sure did. How was work?" Calleigh replied, as she deliberately moved the hair away from her face with her hand and tucked it behind her ear to see if Ryan would react. She watched as Ryan's eyes followed her hand to the side of her head, then turned his eyes back to hers. Seeing him react the way she hoped he would, Calleigh felt butterflies form in her stomach. As Ryan was about to answer Calleigh, he was interrupted by Eric. "Hey, Ryan. Don't you owe H. a little something?" "Oh, yeah." Ryan mumbled as he reached into his pants and pulled out 30 dollars. "This should cover the next round of beers." Ryan placed the money on the table and looked over at Alexx, who winked at him. "You should have told me that Alexx was a killer at pool." Ryan said to Eric. "Dude, you had to learn on your own," Eric replied as he picked up the money and handed it to Horatio. "All of us here at the table have left some establishment with our wallets being a little light not from the drinks, but because of 'Minnesota Fats' over there." Alexx laughed at Eric's compliment. Ryan looked over at Alexx. "Alexx, how did you become such a great pool player?" "Honey, it was my father's hobby. What better way of bonding with your dad than to learn his hobby and share it with him?" Alexx said as she reached over and squeezed Ryan's hand. "Thanks for being a good sport over it." Ryan smiled and nodded. Calleigh looked at Ryan's other hand and wondered if she should take it into her hand. "I sure would like to." She thought to herself.**

**Ryan turned back to Calleigh. "I'm sorry, Calleigh. I didn't answer you. Work was very busy today as usual. It was a lot harder without you around." "Really?" Calleigh replied. "Yeah", Ryan answered, trying his hardest to keep a straight face. "Because I had to pick up the slack and do some of your work…I was getting used to being lazy on the job." Calleigh gave Ryan a playful shove, causing the both of them to break out in laughter. "Hey Ryan," Eric said as the two of them turned away from each other and looked at Eric. "If being lazy on the job is your kind of thing, you should transfer to Ballistics." The whole table laughed and then Calleigh threw a napkin at Eric. "When I get done with you, Mr. Delko, the only oxygen tanks you'll be using are the ones that keep you breathing in the hospital bed!" Calleigh then playfully lunged across the table at Eric, laughing the entire time while Eric made faces at her. Valera reached out and grabbed Calleigh. "No, Cal! There are witnesses!" Valera said jokingly as she pulled Calleigh away and back to her seat. **

"**Folks, we have a problem. And it's a pretty serious one." Everyone stopped to look at Horatio as he now had their attention. The table was quiet for a moment as everyone waited for Horatio to explain the situation. Horatio stood up, with a very serious look on his face. No one knew what he was about to say. Horatio looked at everybody and spoke. "I'm afraid that under these circumstances, it might not be possible to carry on here tonight with the problem we have at hand." Everyone at the table started looking at each other, not sure what Horatio was getting at. Finally, Eric decided to speak up. "What is the problem?" "The problem Eric, is…" Horatio paused. He looked at everybody at the table who were now leaning towards him. Horatio broke into a smile as he finished his sentence: "…that we are out of beer." Everybody groaned as they leaned back into their seats, realizing that Horatio was pulling a fast one over them. "I'll go and get ourselves the next round, thanks to Mr. Wolfe." Horatio spoke with a chuckle as he picked up the 30 dollars and walked towards the bar. The rest of the team waited until Horatio was out of earshot before they looked at each other, finally breaking into fits of laughter.**

**_to be continued_...**


	8. Words Get in the Way

**CHAPTER 8**

**For the next hour, the crew alternately talked about work and personal events in their lives, occasionally breaking into laugher from a comment or joke that someone mentioned. As the evening went by, Calleigh spent more and more time looking at Ryan, which was not lost on Ryan himself who was getting more comfortable looking directly at Calleigh when they talked. Eventually the topics turned to relationships and dating. Given that quite a few pitchers of beer were shared between everyone at that point, their tongues were pretty loose. "Speaking of relationships, I'm going to be leaving soon." Eric said to the group. "Cynthia will be home in about an hour and I want to take her out to a late dinner." "Sounds like you're getting pretty serious with her, Eric." Valera said as she took another sip of beer. "I am. The last three months have been wonderful for me," Eric replied. "I really enjoy her company and I'm always looking forward to when we have time together." Alexx spoke at Eric. "Looks like Mr. Playboy finally caught the commitment bug. Symptoms of the bug include marriage and children." Everyone but Eric let out a collective "Aww" and laughed. "Alexx! God, you're embarrassing me!" Eric half-shouted as his face turned red. "Didn't you tell me once that she has a roommate?" Valera asked Eric as he poured himself another glass of beer. "Yes, I did. Very nice woman. Even set her up on a date with Ryan a few weeks ago." Everyone simultaneously looked over at Ryan, who was glaring very hard at Eric for revealing his blind date to the crew. "A date? Really? Please tell." Calleigh said in a voice that was unmistakably the sound of someone who was approaching '3 sheets to the wind'. It didn't help her that she was drinking more than someone her size should be. And the fact that she hadn't eaten any food that would have slowed down the alcohol from entering her bloodstream at a fast rate. Calleigh looked at Ryan with wide eyes and leaned slightly towards him, waiting for details.**

**Ryan looked away from Eric and focused his eyes on Calleigh. "Um…" Calleigh was staring at Ryan with such intensity that he wanted to look away, but couldn't. He really didn't want to talk about it. Especially not in front of Calleigh. Ryan took a big sip of his beer and slowly tried put his thoughts together and explain the situation. "…the date just didn't work out. I told Eric that she wasn't my type." "And what is your type, Ryan?" Calleigh asked with a little excitement, trying to get any sign from Ryan that he was interested in her. As she asked him, she placed her hand on Ryan's forearm without thinking or caring if the rest of the crew picked up on her body language. Ryan looked down and saw her hand resting on him. It always amazed him how every time she would place her hand on him, it gave him a feeling of want, like he never had before. He so badly wanted to say to Calleigh one word: _You_. But he just couldn't bring himself to say it. Not yet. He looked back up at Calleigh and cleared his throat. He had to say something. Ryan was about to say anything to throw the crew and Calleigh off, but he didn't have to. Eric thankfully spoke up. "Calleigh, I can tell you what type of woman Ryan wants. He wants the type that _loves_ to hear someone talk about the Kennedy Assassination all night long." Calleigh turned her head and looked right at Eric with a serious face. "You know Eric, the lone gunman theory is possible with one bullet if the speed and angle is just right." Eric lifted himself up out of his seat and pointed at Ryan as he looked at Calleigh. "That's the same thing Ryan said!" Eric replied, with a somewhat shocked look on his face, as if he suddenly realized that deep down that Calleigh might have something more in common with Ryan than he had thought before. "God, you two are alike in so many ways. It's almost scary." Eric sat back down as he looked at Ryan with a 'I-told-you-so' look on his face, in regards to their discussion in the Hummer a few days ago. **

**Eric's comment to Ryan about how Ryan and Calleigh were alike caught Calleigh off guard. She quickly removed her hand from Ryan, as if it was wrong to touch him. She looked down at the table and got very quiet. Eric noticed her reaction. "Calleigh, I didn't say it as an insult. I was making an observation. That's all." "I know, Eric…" Calleigh fumbled with her words, which were getting harder to form because she was now drunk. "I just think…that…" Calleigh stood up. "Uh, I need to use the bathroom. I'm afraid I've had too much to drink." She started to fall over, but Ryan quickly jumped up and caught her. He looked over to Alexx. "Alexx? Do you think you can help Calleigh to the restroom?" Alexx nodded and got up. "Guys, I'm sorry," Calleigh slurred as Alexx came over and took Calleigh's arm from Ryan. "I didn't mean to get this tipsy." "Don't worry about it, honey." Alexx said as she started to lead Calleigh to the restroom. "We're all having a good time. You're clearly enjoying yourself tonight. It's ok to let loose every once in a while." Calleigh sighed and looked at Alexx. "Alexx, you know that I don't like to lose control. It's not me." "Sweetheart, no one is going to think of you any differently or not 'under control' because you've had a little too much to drink one night." Alexx continued to speak to Calleigh as she opened the door to the restroom. "We've all been there before. We'll get you home tonight and you can sleep it off." Calleigh stumbled into a stall and closed the door. Alexx stood by the sink and waited. After about a minute, the unmistakable sound of someone vomiting filled the bathroom, followed by the flush of a toilet.**

**Meanwhile, back at the table, everyone was saying goodbye to Valera as she put on her jacket to leave. "Do you want me to drive Calleigh home?" Valera asked to no one in particular at the table. "Either myself or Alexx will drive her back to her apartment." Replied Horatio. "Thanks for asking." "No problem, H." Valera responded. "I'll see you all at work Monday. Drive safe." As she left, Ryan started to speak to Eric. "Why did you have to bring up the date?" Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ryan. It kinda slipped out. I had to say something to steer the conversation away from myself and Cynthia." Eric pushed his empty glass away and reached for his wallet. "Besides, I see that I might have helped you in getting another date." "With who?" Said Ryan, as he quickly realized that he shouldn't have said the words, because he might get the answer that he didn't want to hear. At least not from Eric, with Horatio listening. Eric placed his tip down on the table as he answered Ryan's question. "Ryan, you don't need me to tell you what the answer to 1+1 is." At that moment, Ryan's cellphone went off. Ryan unhooked it from his waist and looked at the number. Excited, he quickly answered. "Christine!" The sudden uplift in his voice did not go unnoticed to Eric or Horatio, who gave each other a quizzed look, but said nothing. The two of them looked back over at Ryan, who was now totally focused on his phone call. "I thought you weren't coming in until tomorrow morning. Early flight? Oh, to surprise me. That's great. Right now I'm at a bar with my coworkers having a few beers. Yes, I'm out at an actual bar with people. Can you believe that?" Eric chuckled at hearing Ryan's side of the conversation. Ryan nodded his head a couple of times over what was being said to him over the phone. "Hold on Christine. I'll ask. No, don't do that. I wouldn't mind." Ryan placed his hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to Horatio. "H., Do you mind if I leave to go pick up my friend at the airport? She said she would take a cab over to my place, but I'd rather pick her up." "I don't mind, Ryan." Horatio answered. Ryan went back to his conversation. "Yes, it's fine. I should be there in a while. Can't wait to see you. I love you too. Bye."**

**Ryan reclipped his phone back onto his waist and looked up to see Eric grinning at him. "Did you just tell a girl that you loved her? Maybe you don't need my help in getting a woman. No wonder you didn't want to call back Sara." "Eric," Ryan said in a somewhat annoyed voice, "Christine is my friend. We go way back. I love her only as a friend." "Sure, Ryan. Whatever you say." "No, Eric. Don't be getting any ideas." Ryan stood up and looked over at the restroom to see if Calleigh and Alexx were coming out yet. No such luck. "Well, I was hoping to say goodbye to Alexx and Calleigh. Maybe I should wait a few more minutes." "Go pick up your friend, Ryan." Horatio said in a tone that sounded more like an order than a comment. "Thanks for coming out tonight. Be careful." "Thanks, H. I will. Say bye to Calleigh and Alexx for me." Ryan responded, feeling a little down that he didn't get to say goodbye to Calleigh himself and to make sure that she was alright. "You two have a good night." Ryan left for the door. No more than a minute or two had passed before Calleigh and Alexx came back to the table.**

**Calleigh had sat back down next to Alexx. Despite her condition, she noticed that Ryan was gone. "Where's Ryan?" She managed to get the words out as she looked at Eric. "Oh, Ryan left to go to the airport to pick up a 'friend'." Eric said as he held up both of his hands and made the quotation mark gesture as he said the word friend. "A friend?" Calleigh was trying to comprehend what Eric was getting at with his gesture. "Her name is Christine. Ryan said that she was just a friend, but I'll believe it when I see it. He was pretty excited to go see her." Eric's words made Calleigh feel like that they were cutting her to the bone. Was she throwing herself at Ryan, a coworker no less, for no reason at all? Were all of her thoughts and dreams from the last few months all for nothing? Calleigh felt sick to her stomach and she knew for a fact that it wasn't from the booze. She looked over to Horatio to see his reaction. He was tapping his right index finger on the table while looking down at his watch, clearly staying out of the conversation. He looked up at Calleigh. The look on her face told him that she wanted to be anywhere but here. Horatio decided to ask her. "Calleigh, do you want me to take you home?" "Yes, H. I think I'm done for the night. What should I do about my car?" "Don't worry," Horatio replied as he stood up. "I have to come into work tomorrow to do some paperwork. I'll stop by your place and pick you up so we can get your car." Calleigh stood up herself and walked over to Horatio. Alexx got up and placed her hand on Calleigh's arm. "Cal, make sure you drink plenty of fluids and take two aspirins when you get home so your hangover won't get the best of you." "Ok, mom." Calleigh spoke back to Alexx as she cracked a smile.**

**Horatio helped Calleigh into the Hummer and drove her home. On the way there, he occasionally looked over to make sure she was ok. She was asleep. As Horatio pulled into the parking lot of her apartment, she began to stir. "What…where am I?" Calleigh mumbled. "You're home." Horatio replied as he parked the Hummer and looked over at Calleigh. "Do I need to carry you upstairs?" "No, I can walk." The two of them got out of the Hummer and went up to her apartment. As she unlocked the door, Calleigh turned to Horatio. "Horatio?" "Yes, Cal?" "Do you think I blew it with Ryan? Is he with this other girl? Maybe I shouldn't have decided to act on my feelings with him until I knew more about his personal life, or at least made sure he wasn't seeing someone before I decided to follow my heart. I really hate the fact that I'm not in control of my feelings. I-" Horatio placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "Cal, honey…I can't tell you how to listen to your heart. You have to make that decision on your own. Besides, you don't know for sure if he is seeing someone unless you ask." Calleigh looked down at the floor. "I don't think I'm strong enough to ask him. I hate feeling so damn conflicted inside." Horatio reached over and placed his arms around Calleigh and hugged her. "Cal, I hate the fact that this is eating you up inside, but like I said, I can only help you to a point. You have to take the next step alone." Calleigh looked up at Horatio with a grin. "You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you?" "Well, I try." Horatio replied, laughing slightly at Calleigh's mocking tone in her voice. "Go inside and get some rest. I'll be by tomorrow to pick you up." "Goodnight, H. thanks for the ride home." Calleigh said as she slowly closed the door behind her.**

"**Goodnight, Bullet Girl."**

**_to be continued_…**


	9. Misunderstanding

**CHAPTER 9**

**It was now Saturday evening and Calleigh was at home, waiting for Horatio to pick her up and bring her to her car. He had called her earlier in the day when he was on his way to work and asked if she wanted to get her car then or wait until he was done. She made a mistake of telling Horatio that she could wait until he was finished with his work. Horatio told her that he would be over in about 4 hours. Despite his tendency to be a workaholic, Calleigh figured that he wouldn't work that long on a Saturday. Besides, he wouldn't leave her waiting around. However, it was now approaching 7 hours and no sign of Horatio. Calleigh was about to call him on her cellphone and give him a piece of her mind when her cellphone went off. She looked at the number and answered. "Horatio." The frustration in her voice was not lost on Horatio. After a brief pause, he spoke. "Calleigh, I'm sorry. I got pulled into a case that the weekend team was working on. I should have called earlier." "It's ok, H." Calleigh replied, remembering times that she would be halfway out the door at work, only to be literally dragged back in over a case. "How soon are you to being here?" "I'm about 5 minutes away." Horatio answered as he switched his cell to the other ear. "I hope that you didn't have any major plans this evening." "No, I didn't. I just want to get my car, and get something to eat." Calleigh rubbed her forehead, still recovering from last night's drinking. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Calleigh closed her cellphone and placed it back down on the table. She got up and went to the bathroom to take some aspirin. As she placed her glass down, thoughts about last night again popped into her head. She half-smiled to herself when she thought about sitting next to Ryan and talking to him. The smile turned to a frown when she remembered again Eric's comments about Ryan leaving to pick up his "friend". She was so close to making a connection with Ryan when she got sick. Then having to hear Eric's remarks when she got back to the table just ruined the rest of the evening for her. Months ago, the thought that Ryan was with someone else would had never bothered her. But that was then. Now she wanted that "someone else" to be her. She looked into the mirror. Calleigh could see a face of sadness staring back at her. "Did I blow my chance to tell Ryan how I feel about him?" Calleigh spoke out loud at her image in the mirror. "There's no way around it," Calleigh thought to herself as she left the bathroom. "I have to tell him. If only to have peace of mind. I'll tell him after work on Monday."**

**The knock on her door jolted Calleigh from her thoughts. "Cal?" "Hold on H.," Calleigh said as she reached the door. Calleigh opened the door to let Horatio in. "Are you ready to leave?" Asked Horatio, who walked over to the sink to get a drink of water. "About 3 hours ago." Calleigh muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes at no one in particular. "What did you say, Cal? The faucet was running." "What? Oh nothing, H. I'm ready." Horatio placed his glass in the sink while Calleigh grabbed her purse and cellphone. The two talked about work on the way to the bar, with Horatio mainly discussing the case that he got pulled into at the last second. A few minutes of silence passed before Calleigh spoke up. "I've decided to finally talk to Ryan. I need to get this off of my chest and get over with it." Horatio didn't respond. He just kept staring straight forward. "H.? Did you hear what I said?" "Yes, I did," Horatio answered as he still looked forward. "You don't think I'm doing the right thing by talking to him?" Calleigh studied the side of Horatio's face, waiting for a reaction. Horatio slightly turned his head and looked at her. "Calleigh, I think you're doing what you feel is right in your heart. You know I will stand by your decision. But Wolfe-" "What about Ryan?" Calleigh didn't like what Horatio was getting at. Horatio continued to speak. "I don't know how he would take it. I know that I can trust you to keep it together professionally, as for Ryan…I don't know how he would react to your news." "Are you saying that I should stay quiet H. and just let this eat me up inside?" "No, I'm not. I'm just saying that I hope it goes the way you want it to go. Actually, I'm not sure what I'm saying. Just follow your instincts. I know you'll do the right thing." The Hummer pulled into the parking lot of Bayview's. Horatio parked next to Calleigh's car and got out. He walked over to the passenger side to open the door for Calleigh and to help her down. "Thanks for the ride, H." Calleigh said as she pulled out her keys. "You're welcome," Horatio replied. "Again, I'm sorry for being late to pick you up." Calleigh looked at Horatio. "It's ok. I'll see you at work Monday." Calleigh closed her door and started her car when Horatio leaned over and tapped on her window. "Yes?" Said Calleigh, as she rolled down her window. "What I said about following your instincts," Horatio said as he looked into Calleigh's eyes. Calleigh let out a sigh. He paused for a moment to think before speaking again. "Don't follow your instincts. Follow your heart. Always follow your heart." Calleigh's face brightened up as she gave Horatio a big smile. "Goodnight, handsome. Thanks again for the ride." Calleigh threw the car in reverse as Horatio backed away. "Oh, don't turn on the charm _now_," Horatio managed to say before laughing. Calleigh winked at Horatio as she drove off.**

**Since she was in the area, Calleigh decided to call to Lombardi's to get her 'usual'. "Lombardi's. How may I help you?" "Oh, hey Gary." Calleigh recognized the voice on the other line. Calleigh was eating or ordering at Lombardi's for so long, by now it was almost her second home. "Calleigh! How are you tonight! Calling to get your usual?" "I'm fine, Gary. Thanks for asking. Yes, I would like a single order of my 'usual'." "Got it." Replied Gary. "Anything else for you tonight?" "No, that will do it for me, Gary. See you in a few." Calleigh closed her phone and headed toward the restaurant. Pulling into the lot, she noticed a car that looked like Ryan's. "That can't be his," she thought to herself. "Maybe I won't have to wait until Monday." Calleigh parked into the first open spot she could find and went inside. Gary was standing at the pick-up counter when Calleigh walked up. "Hey, big guy." Calleigh was intentionally turning on the southern drawl. "Calleigh!" Gary reached over the counter and grabbed her hand. "It's going to be another 5 minutes." "That's ok. I'll go ahead and pay for it now." Calleigh reached into her purse and pulled out 20 dollars. After she paid, she asked Gary if it was ok to go out to the dining room. "Of course, Calleigh. There may be a bay window available." "You know me all too well, Gary." Gary shot back at Calleigh. "I think we _all_ know you too well here." Gary smiled at Calleigh as she laughed at his comment. Calleigh wasn't planning to sit by the bay window this time. This time, she was going to look directly for Ryan. It didn't take long for her to spot him. He was sitting at a table near a corner, directly facing her. Ryan was talking to somebody that she couldn't make out, due to the low lighting. She got closer. When she got close enough, she froze in her tracks. Ryan was talking to a girl with long blonde hair. She was laughing and putting her hand on his. Ryan was looking at her with such happiness. Ryan happened to look over and see Calleigh standing there, staring at him. "Calleigh!" Ryan said as he got out of his chair. "Uh, Ryan. Hi. I-" Calleigh managed to get out before Ryan grabbed her and brought her to his table. "Calleigh, I want you to meet my friend Christine. Christine, this is my friend and coworker Calleigh." "Oh, this is the Calleigh you've been talking about." Christine said as she got out of her chair. It wasn't lost on Calleigh that Christine had a southern accent like hers. Christine stood in front of Calleigh. Calleigh looked up at Christine, who was practically a spitting image of Calleigh, except for the fact that Christine was at least 5 inches taller and a good cup size or two bigger.**

"**It's so nice to meet you, ma'am." Christine said as she held out her hand to shake Calleigh's. Calleigh couldn't believe it. Here was the man of her dreams having dinner with a woman who was basically a copy of her. It was all Calleigh could do but to reach out and shake Christine's hand. "Interesting accent you have there." Calleigh could barely get the words out. Christine chuckled. "I'm from Corpus Christi, Texas. Southern girl, born and raised." It took all of Calleigh's strength to muster a smile. She quickly composed herself as she asked Christine a question. "Christine, how do you know Ryan?" "We went to college together. He was my best friend throughout school and still is." Christine sat back down and looked at Ryan as he was still standing next to Calleigh. Ryan turned to look at Calleigh. "Are you here to get take-out?" "Yes, uh…it should be ready now. I should leave." Calleigh started to turn away from Ryan and head back towards the pick-up area. Ryan grabbed her shoulder. "Calleigh, would you like to join us?" Calleigh flinched at his comment. "Ryan, I can't. Not now. Please…" Ryan could hear the hurt in Calleigh's voice. "Calleigh, what's wrong?" Calleigh looked down at the floor. "I have to go. Christine, it was nice to meet you." Ryan was about to say something when his waiter arrived with his and Christine's food. "Sir?" The waiter looked at Ryan, not sure at what was going on. "Ryan," Calleigh looked up at Ryan, trying to avoid direct eye contact. "Sit back down and enjoy your evening with Christine. I really have to go. Please." Calleigh brushed Ryan's hand off her shoulder and walked away. Ryan stood there baffled. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with Calleigh. "Ryan? Are you going to sit down?" Christine's voice snapped Ryan back to his surroundings. He wanted to run after Calleigh and ask her what was wrong. But he didn't want to be rude to Christine. "I hope I'm making the right decision by not going after her." Ryan thought to himself as he sat back down to eat his dinner and resume his conversation with Christine.**

**Calleigh could barely keep it together. She walked back up to the counter, where her food was waiting in a bag with her name on it. She grabbed the bag without saying a word to anybody and walked outside to her car. She barely had the car running before she started breaking out into huge sobs. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she left the parking lot and headed for home. Getting home, she was not in the mood to eat her dinner. She threw her food into the refrigerator and opened the freezer, taking out a pint of ice cream. Calleigh headed for her sofa in the living room. She sat down, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging her legs for about a minute, breaking the silence with her crying. "I don't understand," Calleigh thought to herself as she sat there. "I thought all this time he wanted me. What is he doing with a second-rate carbon copy of myself when there's nothing wrong with the original?" Calleigh reached over to the ice cream and started to eat it. Taking a couple of soothing bites, she thought some more. "Instead of being with me, he decides to be with Ms. Supermodel." Calleigh thought about how Christine was taller and more busty than she was, and it made her angry. "Ryan doesn't realize that great things always come in small packages. ALWAYS. Why do men have to be such blind, clueless assholes?" Calleigh took a few more bites of ice cream. Placing the now empty container back on the table next to the sofa, Calleigh felt a sudden urge to sleep. Not wanting to get up and go to the bedroom, she pulled the blanket that she had on the sofa over her. She drifted off, hoping that any dreams she might have would give her some sort of comfort and heal her broken heart. **

**_to be continued_…**


	10. Breakdown

**A/N: Once again, I had to break up one chapter into two. I apologize in advance if you think that Calleigh's "ooc" in the next two chapters, but love makes you do and say strange things that you would normally not do in a normal state of mind (as if that comment makes any sense).**

**Roger**

**

* * *

CHAPTER 10**

**Calleigh tried to sleep throughout the night peacefully, but it was not to be. She dreamt that the void was getting bigger and bigger, threatening to swallow her whole. No matter how fast she would run away from the darkness, it kept after her, which such speed that it would seem impossible to outrun it. She could feel it nipping at her heels, taunting her to no end. Calleigh turned her head and looked over her shoulder and could see it right behind her. Suddenly, a hand reached out from beyond the darkness and grabbed her. Calleigh woke up in a cold sweat, screaming. She bolted up from the sofa. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was dreaming again. Looking at the clock in the corner in her living room, it told her that it was 3:15 a.m. Calleigh let out a huge sigh and wondered if she should stay up or go back to sleep. She was afraid to fall back asleep, given that she might have more nightmares. She decided to try and stay up. However, she couldn't fight her body's need for rest and despite having a cup of coffee, Calleigh found herself drifting back off to sleep. Thankfully, her mind was calm the rest of the night, yielding no more nightmares to wake up from.**

**It wasn't until she heard the knocking at the door that woke her from a deep sleep. Calleigh awoke from the sofa where she decided to stay the rest of the night, due to not wanting to lay in her bed by herself. Too many nights she felt empty laying in a bed alone. Sleeping in a smaller area like the sofa, gave her a brief -if all too brief- comfort. The knocking continued and she heard a familiar voice. "Cal, honey? Are you there?" "Shit." Calleigh mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, quickly realizing that she and Alexx were going out to breakfast together that morning at 9. She had totally forgot about it. Without thinking about her appearance, Calleigh got up and ran to her front door. "Hold on, Alexx. I overslept." Calleigh responded as she opened the door. "It's ok, sweetie. I-" Alexx stopped in mid-sentence, the smile on her face quickly faded away, replaced by a concerned look as she saw Calleigh's face. Calleigh looked over at the mirror by her door to see what Alexx was looking at. Her face was a mess. Countless tears caused her mascara to run down her face, leaving streaks all the way to her jaw line. Her eyes were still red and puffy from the crying that went on hours before. Not to mention that her eyes also had dark circles under them, due to the lack of proper sleep. Calleigh turned back to face Alexx. "Alexx, um…" Alexx cut her off. "Calleigh! What happened to you?" "Nothing." Calleigh's remark wasn't fooling anyone, especially Alexx. Calleigh stepped back to let Alexx in. Alexx glanced into the living room and saw countless tissues scattered around the sofa. "Alexx looked back at Calleigh. "You're not fooling anybody. Please tell me what happened."**

"**It's nothing, really." Calleigh answered as she walked into the living room and picked up the tissues that were lying on the floor and placed them into the empty ice cream container on the table. "Just a personal issue that I'm going through. Give me a few minutes to get ready for breakfast." She turned to walk into the kitchen, only to be blocked by Alexx, standing there with her arms crossed. Calleigh looked down, knowing all too well that Alexx wasn't buying any of her excuses. Calleigh turned around and sat down on the sofa. Alexx came over and sat down next to her. "I care about you, Cal," Alexx said as she wrapped her arm around Calleigh. "You're like a daughter to me. You know if that you have any problems, you can always come to me." Calleigh looked at Alexx and tried to speak, but could feel the pain rising to the surface again. "Alexx." Calleigh tried to get the words out, but instead broke into a heavy sob. She buried her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried. "Oh, you poor thing." Alexx reached over to the box of tissues that were laying on the other side of the sofa. She handed one to Calleigh, who took it without looking up. Calleigh blew her nose and wiped her eyes, then composed herself. She finally looked at Alexx, her eyes waiting for a response from Calleigh. For the next 30 minutes, Calleigh told Alexx everything. She told her all of her fears of being alone and the dreams that she'd been having for some time now. Then she told her the first moment she realized that Ryan meant something to her, then meant _everything_ to her. She kept it together until she got to the part where she met Christine. Starting to tear up again, Alexx handed her another tissue. "Cal, it sounds like you're really in love with him." "How can this be love if it hurts this much?" Calleigh said as she took the tissue from Alexx. Alexx placed her hand on Calleigh's shoulder. "It wouldn't be love, Calleigh, it if didn't hurt at all." As she wiped away the new tears, Calleigh started to talk again. "Alexx?" "Yes, honey?" "Am I a fool for being like this, acting this way over someone who apparently doesn't feel the same way in return?" "You don't know that he doesn't have any feelings for you." Alexx smiled. Calleigh noticed the smile on Alexx's face. "Was that a rhetorical comment, or do you know something?" Alexx straightened up on the sofa. "I can't say for sure, Cal…but there have been times I've caught him staring at you, oblivious to the world around him. And I've noticed at times when we all go out, he won't talk to you." Calleigh felt a flutter in her heart. Maybe there was a chance between the two of them after all. **

"**Alexx?" "Yes, Cal?" "Do you know anything about Christine? Has Ryan ever talked about her?" "He's mentioned her once or twice. Nothing specific. Just small talk. Not enough to tell me that he's seeing her. But it's none of my business anyway. You wouldn't know unless you ask." "That's the same thing H. told me. I think I'm detecting a pattern here," Calleigh thought to herself. She looked at Alexx. "Well…I was planning to 'come clean' with Ryan on Monday. Just to get my feelings and frustrations out. Think it's a bad idea?" "I don't think so, if you do it right," answered Alexx. "If you were to take him aside and explain what you are feeling towards him, I don't think he'll take it the wrong way. I wouldn't be surprised if he tells you the same thing, too." "Really?" Calleigh's face brightened up at Alexx's answer and let a huge smile stretch across her face. Alexx took a look at Calleigh and nodded her head, smiling herself. "Don't you feel better getting all of this out?" "I sure do." Calleigh reached over and gave Alexx a hug. "Thank you, Alexx." "Anything to help a friend out." Alexx kissed Calleigh on her forehead and stood up. "Now how about a nice breakfast to help you start the day." "You don't need to read my mind," Calleigh replied as she stood up herself. "My tummy's been telling me the whole time that ice cream is not enough to get through the day." Alexx laughed as Calleigh headed to her bathroom to clean up.**

**It was now Monday afternoon and the crew was winding down their work for the day. Eric and Ryan were so caught up in the case that they were working on, neither one spoke to the other about the weekend. However, everything was coming to a stop for the evening and Eric couldn't resist grilling Ryan about Christine. "So, how was your weekend with Christine?" "It was great. I missed her. I hadn't seen her in about 18 months." Ryan was still looking at his paperwork while he talked to Eric. Eric broke into a grin. "I'll bet that you made up big time for those 18 months." Ryan looked up at Eric. "Eric, what did I tell you on Friday. We're only friends, nothing more." "What side of the bed did she sleep on?" Eric was hoping that he would catch Ryan lying, if Ryan told him the answer. "I don't know. I slept on the sofa. Nice try to get me to screw up and say the wrong thing." "Aha!" Eric pointed his finger at Ryan. "Either you're telling me the truth or you knew that I was trying to get you to slip up." "Whatever." Ryan said as he shrugged his shoulders at Eric and went back to checking his paperwork. Eric headed for the door. "Have a good evening, Ryan. I'll see you tomorrow." "You too, Eric." Ryan still was looking down at his paperwork. "Ryan." Ryan looked up at Eric. "Yes?" "You know I'm joking with you about Christine. Just giving you a hard time." "I know." Ryan said with a slight smirk on his face. "Goodnight, Eric." Eric left as Ryan finished checking his work. Ryan noticed that the ballistics report didn't have Calleigh's signature on it. "What the hell?" Ryan thought to himself. "Since when does Calleigh give me a report with no name on it? I better catch her and get it before I turn this into H. He'll tear me a new one if I file another incomplete report." Ryan grabbed his paperwork and headed to the firing range.**

_**to be continued…**_


	11. Breakthrough

**CHAPTER 11**

**Calleigh was doing what made her the most comfortable: firing her gun at the target on the range. As she placed her gun down, she noticed out of the corner of her eye Alexx walking up to her. Calleigh took off her protective gear and turned to face Alexx. Alexx got right to the point. "Have you told Ryan yet?" "Not yet." Alexx slightly frowned. Calleigh saw her reaction and placed her hand on Alexx's arm. "I didn't change my mind, Alexx. In fact, he should be down here any minute." Alexx looked at Calleigh with a sly smile on her face, glad that her friend didn't back out of her decision. "What makes you think he's coming down here? "Oh, it might have something to do with the fact that I purposely gave him a report without a signature." Calleigh broke into a devilish grin. "Oh, you naughty thing, you." Alexx said in a teasing voice. "You know that Ryan is paranoid about forgetting something on a report. Especially if he's the one who has to file it. Why do you think he looks it over about a million times before turning it in to H.?" Calleigh giggled. Alexx headed for the door. Turning around she stared at Calleigh with a serious look on her face. "I want details tomorrow, girl. DETAILS." "Bye, Alexx." Calleigh put her gun and equipment away and waited.**

**About two minutes after Alexx left, Ryan came walking in. He walked over to Calleigh, who had her back to him. "Calleigh?" She pretended that she didn't hear Ryan say her name. He repeated her name again. "Calleigh?" This time she turned around and looked at Ryan. He was standing there, his jacket over his left arm, holding the file in his right hand. "Detective Wolfe!" Calleigh was intentionally speaking in a thick drawl. "What brings you here?" "You didn't sign the report you turned into me." Ryan replied in a somewhat agitated tone. "H. will chew me out if I turn this in incomplete." "Oh, I'm sorry, Ryan. I've had something on my mind all day and I guess I wasn't thinking clearly when I gave this to you." Calleigh took the report from his hand and walked over to the table to sign it. "That's not usual of you to be distracted so easily, Calleigh." Ryan placed his jacket down and came over to the table. "Well…" Calleigh paused. "I've been wanting to ask you a question. And I've been thinking all day how to say it." "What question would that be?" Calleigh looked at Ryan. Now that she had the ball rolling, there was no way it was going to stop now. "I want…no I _need_ to know if you and Christine are together." Ryan took a step back from Calleigh. "Did Delko put you up to this?" Calleigh was startled by Ryan's question and his tone. "No, I need to know for myself." "Why? So you and Eric can make fun of my personal life? Christine is my friend. There's nothing between us. Are you happy now?" Calleigh didn't think that Ryan would respond to her question like this. "Ryan, I'm not making fun of your personal life. I have to know." Ryan could feel himself reaching the breaking point. He was sick and tired of people questioning his relationship with Christine. He knew deep down they all ask because they couldn't believe that someone like Christine would want a guy like _him_. He thought he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore. First Eric and now Calleigh, of all people, was asking him about the very thing that hurt him to the core: '_You'll never be good enough for any girl, Ryan. So why would this girl be interested in you?_'**

**Ryan couldn't hold his thoughts in anymore. "Christine and I have never been involved. Never have and never will. I hope knowing this will make you sleep better at night." Calleigh just stared at Ryan while he continued. "Did I ever wanted to be with her? Yes. But I knew…WE knew that would never happen. I love her. And I rather have her in my life as a friend than never have her in my life at all. I accepted the fact a long time ago that I'll never be good enough for any woman-" "What?" Calleigh interrupted him. "How can you ever say that? Don't you ever say that!" Ryan pointed at himself. "Calleigh, look at who you're talking to." Calleigh walked over to Ryan. His words of not being good enough for any woman hurt her more than a slap to the face. All this time, all these feelings she had for him should have been more than enough for Ryan to realize that someone wanted him. God knows that she gave off enough signs. And yet, he was telling Calleigh to her face that he wasn't good enough for anybody. He wasn't even going to try to admit any feelings she knew he had towards her, he was just going to give up. "I need to go, Calleigh." Ryan started to walk around Calleigh to get the report on her desk when he felt a hand grab his left arm. "Don't you walk away from me." The unmistakable coldness in Calleigh's voice stopped Ryan dead in his tracks. He turned around and looked at her. Calleigh glared at Ryan, tears welling in her eyes. Ryan tried to say something, but couldn't do anything but stare at her. "You listen to me right now." Calleigh swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears. "I-I've been carrying a torch for you for so goddamn long, it's burning a hole through my soul." "Cal-" Ryan tried to speak, but Calleigh cut him off. "No. don't you dare say a damn word. I've been in love with you for so long and I could never find a way or the words to tell you how I felt. And to have you tell me to my face that you're worthless and don't mean shit to anybody just kills me inside. How you could be so fucking clueless is beyond me. But if you don't feel the same way towards me like I do towards you, I don't want to know. Your actions right now are more than enough. I don't want to deal with this anymore. Just leave. Grab your report and get out. I'm tired with justifying my behavior for you. Just know this-when you walk out of this office, you'll be walking out on the woman who thinks that you're good, no, GREAT enough for her."**

**Calleigh let go of Ryan's arm. He stood there for a moment, speechless. Without saying a word, he walked over to Calleigh's desk and picked up the report. He looked back over to Calleigh. She had her back to him, crying softly. He headed for the door. Calleigh felt her heart sink even deeper as she heard his footsteps get farther and farther away from her. Suddenly, they stopped. Calleigh stood there, waiting for the footsteps to continue on into the hallway. Instead, she heard them coming towards her. As she turned around, Ryan reached out and pulled her into his arms, lifted her up and placed a kiss on her lips. He held her for a few seconds, kissing her the entire time. Ryan then lowed Calleigh gently back down onto the floor. Trying to collect her thoughts over what just happened, Calleigh stood there quietly for what seemed like an eternity. She finally looked up at Ryan. Ryan looked confused, not sure of what was going to happen next. "Calleigh," he softly whispered. "I'm sorry if you didn't-" Calleigh cut him off by pulling his head down to hers, her mouth quickly finding his. The contact of their lips made Calleigh feel like somebody who was underwater for a long period of time finally reaching the surface to take in a breath of air. Their lips separated. Calleigh looked back up at Ryan. Ryan finished what he was trying to say. "Calleigh, I'm sorry if you didn't think that I didn't have any feelings for you. I just didn't know how to get them out. In fact, I think I was more scared of what your reaction would have been if I did tell you." "What kind of reaction would that be?" Calleigh said, as she ran his fingers through his hair. How she always longed to feel his dark hair around her fingers. Ryan continued. "Uh, the kind of reaction where you would have torn my head off." "I think I just did." Calleigh whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry about that." "No, that's ok. I think it needed to be done," Ryan said as he leaned down to kiss Calleigh again. "It was the very thing that made me realize what a fool I've been to keep quiet around you." They kissed. "I think I'm getting used to this." Muttered Ryan. Calleigh let out a little chuckle. He stood back up, taking Calleigh's hands into his. "Where do we go from here?" "I've got an answer for that. Why don't you grab the report I'm waiting for and bring it up to my office?" Both Ryan and Calleigh looked at each other in shock, realizing that Horatio was behind them. Ryan turned around to see a _very_ pissed Horatio, standing in the doorway of Calleigh's office, hands on his hips.**

_**to be continued…**_


	12. Surprise, Surprise

**CHAPTER 12**

**The two of them stood there and stared at Horatio, not knowing what to do. Horatio continued to glare at the both of them. Then he focused his glare at Ryan. Ryan looked down at the floor to avoid his eyes. Ryan didn't know what Horatio was going to do to him. It was bad enough that he didn't get the report up to Horatio when he was supposed to, but the fact that Horatio himself came down and saw Ryan kissing a coworker romantically. Horatio cleared his throat. "Detective Wolfe, I would appreciate it if you give me the file right now." "Uh, it's right over here." Ryan replied nervously as he walked over to the chair where he threw it down with his jacket. As Ryan went to grab the file, Calleigh looked at Horatio. What Ryan didn't see was Horatio giving Calleigh a wink. She immediately knew that he was bluffing about being angry and wanted to pull a fast one over Ryan. She let out a breath and relaxed her body. Noticing that Ryan was now turning to face him, Horatio quickly went back to a stone face. "Here you go, sir." Ryan said as he handed Horatio the file. Calleigh quickly stifled a laugh over Ryan trying to be all serious and addressing Horatio as 'sir'. Horatio looked at Ryan, then down to the file and back up at Ryan again. "Detective Wolfe…" "Yes?" Horatio took a step towards Ryan and looked him right in the eyes. Ryan wanted to jump out of his body. He didn't know what Horatio was going to say to him. He tensed up expecting the worst. "Thank you." Ryan wasn't quite sure if he heard Horatio right. "What?" "I said, thank you." Horatio answered. Then Horatio let a slight smirk form on his face as he backed away from Ryan. "Goodnight, you two." Horatio turned and left Calleigh's office. Ryan stood there, not quite absorbing what just happened. It wasn't until he turned back to Calleigh and she had her hand over her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh at Ryan that he remembered that Horatio just smirked at him. "Oh, God!" Ryan gasped out as he realized that Horatio wasn't mad to begin with and was just messing with him. He slumped his shoulders as he let out a nervous sigh.**

**Calleigh walked over to Ryan and put her arms around him. "I thought he was going to fire me." Ryan managed to get the words out. "Why? Over a file?" Calleigh asked as she tucked her head under his chin. "No, for kissing you." Calleigh pulled her head away from Ryan's neck and looked up at him. "He wouldn't have fire you. He knows." "He knows what?" Calleigh reached up to touch his hair again. "What I feel about you. He's probably too happy for me to be angry at you." Ryan got nervous again. "How does he know how you feel about me?" "I talked to him a while ago about you," Calleigh answered as she noticed the nervous tone of Ryan's voice. "It's ok. He gave me my blessing, so to speak." "I need to sit down." Ryan walked over to the chair where the file was and sat down, moving his jacket to one of the armrests. Calleigh followed him. "Are you ok?" "I'm sorry, Cal. It's just a lot to absorb at once. Admitting to you my feelings when you told me yours. Then Horatio catching us while he knew the whole time that you had feelings for me. It-" "Shh." Calleigh said as she placed a finger on Ryan's lips. "It's ok. You don't need to worry about anything." Ryan looked up, somewhat relieved. "Anybody else know?" Calleigh walked over to her desk to grab a chair so she could sit in front of Ryan. "I told Alexx yesterday when she came over for breakfast." Calleigh felt uncomfortable remembering the situation that led her to tell Alexx. Ryan buried his face in his hands. "What's wrong?" Calleigh leaned forward and placed her hand on Ryan's knee. "When Eric finds out, he's going to give me so much crap." Ryan spoke as his hands still covered his face. He lowered his hands onto Calleigh's hand. Calleigh looked Ryan in the eyes. "Tell Eric to keep his opinions to himself, or he'll have to answer to _me_." Ryan laughed at Calleigh's reply. He picked up her hand and kissed it. Calleigh blushed. She leaned forward again to kiss Ryan. "I don't think I'm going to get tired of this." Ryan whispered. "Me neither." Calleigh whispered into Ryan's ear. **

**Suddenly, Calleigh's pager went off. Calleigh let out a groan as she got up and went to her desk. She frowned as she read the message. "What's wrong?" Ryan got up and came over to the desk. "Looks like my shift's not done yet," replied Calleigh as she picked up the phone and dialed the number on the pager. "Duquesne." Calleigh listened on the phone as Ryan walked back over to the chair to pick up his jacket. "Ok, I'll be over in a few minutes." Calleigh placed the phone back on the receiver. "The night shift needs my help on a case, Ryan. I have to go." Ryan walked back over to the desk. "Are you doing anything tomorrow night after work?" "You have something in mind?" Calleigh's eyes brightened in anticipation. "Yes," Ryan paused, then continued. "I was wondering if I can take you out on a date." "A real date?" Asked Calleigh. "The kind of date where I put on my favorite black dress and high heels and wear my hair in the style that drives men crazy?" "Well, if you're going to put it that way, YES!" Ryan answered enthusiastically. "Well then, Mr. Wolfe, I accept." Ryan leaned down to kiss her again. "Do you have anywhere in particular you would like to go?" "Hmm," Calleigh thought for a second before leaning forward for another kiss. "How about somewhere with a bay window that serves Italian?" "Calleigh, I could read you like a book." Ryan said as he knew exactly where she wanted to go for their first 'real' dinner together. "Well, I'm probably a better read than Einstein." They both laughed at Calleigh's remark. Calleigh lowered her arms down. "Ryan, I have to go. They're waiting for me." Ryan put his jacket on. "See you tomorrow, Cal." Ryan reached out and touched her face with his hand. He then left so Calleigh could get ready for the night shift. What he didn't see as he walked out was Calleigh grinning from ear to ear as she packed.**

**Calleigh didn't come in until 10 the next morning due to working late with the night shift. She was hoping to see Ryan when she got in, only to find that he was on assignment all day with Eric and would be away from the lab. Horatio was also away on assignment, so obviously she wouldn't be able to speak to him either. Calleigh was having a break with Alexx and telling her the details about last night when Ryan called. He told Calleigh that the reservation at Lombardi's was at 8 and he would pick her up at her apartment around 7. It was now 5:30 in the evening and Calleigh was heading for home. Calleigh pulled into the parking lot and hurried upstairs. She showered quickly and put on her makeup. She parted her hair on the right side, then pulled it back into a ponytail. She slid into her dress and stood in front of the body-length mirror in her bedroom. "Perfect." She said to herself. She was putting her high heels on when she heard a knock at her front door. Calleigh stood up, running her hands down her dress to flatten out the wrinkles. She walked over to the door, opened it and let out a gasp. Ryan was standing there in a dark blue 3-piece suit, holding a bouquet of flowers. His hair was slicked straight back, instead of the usual combover style everybody was used to seeing him wear. In all the months she had seen him at work, she had never seen him in a tie, let alone a full suit. "Wow, Ryan…you look amazing." Calleigh looked Ryan up and down. "I could same the same thing about you." Ryan said as he took a long look at Calleigh in her dress. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a woman like her who wanted him. "These are for you." Ryan handed Calleigh the bouquet. "Oh, thank you. Let me put these in water before we leave. Please come in." Ryan followed Calleigh inside as she went to the kitchen to place the flowers in a vase. He had never been over to her apartment. He stood in the living room and looked around. Calleigh walked up to him. "Shall we go?" "You bet," answered Ryan as he followed Calleigh out of her apartment.**

_**to be continued…**_


	13. A First For Everything

**CHAPTER 13**

**Lombardi's wasn't too busy, given that it was a Tuesday night. Ryan and Calleigh sat down in where else, a table by the bay window. They were handed their menus and the two of them started discussing what to eat. Ryan spoke up. "I think I'll break out of my shell tonight and order something that doesn't have the words 'tomato' or 'basil' in it." Calleigh laughed. "Ryan, I think you've already broken out of your shell the way you look tonight." "I have?" Replied Ryan as he looked at Calleigh. "Thank God, somebody noticed." Ryan winked. Calleigh smiled and took a sip of red wine that the waiter just poured for her. Ryan paused from looking at his menu and stared at Calleigh. She set her glass down. "What is it?" She asked. "You're always beautiful, no matter how you look," was Ryan's reply. "Don't ever break out of your shell." Calleigh blushed. It always surprised Ryan how easily it was to get her to blush. Calleigh took his hand into hers. "I'll always stay the same for you, handsome." Ryan grinned at her comment and went back to looking at the menu. He looked for a minute, then looked back at Calleigh. "Cal, do you want to get your own meal, or do you want to get a whole order and share it? I'm kind of lost at the meals that don't have the words 'tomato' or 'basil' in them." Calleigh chuckled. "Ryan, have you ever tried the Fettuccine al Limone con Pollo?" "Isn't that what you always get for take-out?" "Yes, it's the best." "Well, I'll try that. You want to get the whole order?" "Of course," Calleigh said as she placed the menu on the table. The waiter came back to the table. "Are you two ready to order?" "Yes," answered Ryan. "We'll each have the Insalata Cesare for our salads and for the meal, we'll have an whole order of Fettuccine al Limone con Pollo." "Thank you." The waiter said as he took the menus. "Your salads will be out shortly." The waiter left and Ryan and Calleigh returned to their conversation.**

'**I told Christine how much you like coming here." Ryan said as he picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "It's too bad you didn't want to join us on Saturday." Calleigh shifted in her seat. "Well, I didn't want to be the fifth wheel." "Cal, you wouldn't have been the fifth wheel. The both of us would have been happy to have you as company." Ryan paused to take another sip of wine. "Ryan, it wouldn't have felt right. I didn't know what was going on between the two of you at the time. For all I know, you could have been in the middle of an romantic dinner." Ryan reached over for the bottle to pour himself another glass of wine. "Well, Cal…if it was a romantic dinner, I wouldn't have invited you to join us. Besides, the only way I could have a romantic dinner with Christine is if I were to become a woman first." Ryan's comment took Calleigh by surprise. She suddenly realized why he and Christine were never an item. She reached out for Ryan's hand again and slowly squeezed it. He looked into her eyes. The waiter returned to their table with the salads and a small loaf of bread. Calleigh and Ryan both grabbed a fork and started eating. "I'll bet that you were a ladies man in college." Calleigh mentioned as she broke off a piece of bread. "I hope you didn't bet a lot of money because you just lost." Ryan answered as he took another bite of salad. Calleigh let out a small laugh. "C'mon. Didn't you go out on any dates at all?" "Sure I did," Ryan replied. "But both times, the woman asked me out first." Calleigh pressed on. "You're kidding me. You've only been on two dates?" "Well, no. I sort of had a girlfriend in high school." Ryan continued to eat his salad. "But we didn't get too personal. I guess the chemistry wasn't there." A thought crossed Calleigh' mind. She _had_ to know. She didn't mean to be so curious, but she had to ask. "Um, Ryan?" Ryan stopped eating and looked at Calleigh. "Yes?" "I don't mean to get personal, but uh, exactly how far have you ever been romantically with a woman?" Ryan thought for a moment as Calleigh took a sip of wine. "Second base." His answer caught Calleigh off-guard. "What?" Calleigh dropped her glass. It hit the table and spilled directly onto her dress. "Oh, shit." She reached for a napkin to absorb the wine. Ryan stood up. "Cal, are you ok?" "I'm fine. I'm sorry. Your answer took me by surprise." She continued to wipe her dress. Luckily it was black, so there would be no noticeable stain. Ryan looked concerned. "Are you upset by my answer?" "No," Calleigh said as she placed her napkin back on the table. "I just wasn't expecting to hear that, um…" "That I'm still a virgin." Ryan looked away from Calleigh as he finished the sentence for her.**

**Ryan sat back down, a look of embarrassment on his face, as if he what he revealed was some deep dark secret. "There's nothing wrong in still being a virgin, Ryan." Calleigh said. Ryan sighed. "Well, it's not like I had a choice. I've never been good with women. And the fact that I never found the right woman to give it away to." Ryan looked at Calleigh, then looked down at his salad. "I hope you don't think of me being less of a man for never having sex." "Ryan," Calleigh said in a hushed voice, "I would _never_ think of you as less of a man for that. I think it's very noble that you've decided to wait until the right girl came along." Calleigh couldn't believe what she just said. She practically told Ryan that she was the one he would give his virginity to. Not that anything was wrong with that, she just didn't want him to think that they would rush into certain situations. "Uh-Ryan, well, I mean when the right girl _comes_ along." Calleigh quickly stammered out, her face turning red. Ryan was not lost on her reaction. "It's ok, Cal. I know what you meant." He smiled at Calleigh. The waiter returned to their table with the main course. "And here is your Fettuccine al Limone con Pollo. Any thing else I can get the two of you?" "No thanks, we're fine." Answered Ryan. Ryan picked up the tongs and spooned a helping of the Fettuccine onto Calleigh's plate, then his own. Calleigh waited to eat until Ryan took a bite to see what he thought. He took a bite, then rolled his eyes in ecstasy. "Oh my God, this is _so_ good." Calleigh grinned. "I knew that you would like it." "This is great." Ryan quickly took another bite. "I'll have to get this with my soup next time." Calleigh picked up her fork to eat. "I'm so glad you approve, Ryan." Ryan reached for the bottle of wine. "Would you like some more wine, Cal?" "Of course." "You promise not to drop your glass again?" "I promise." Calleigh held out her glass. The two of them sat there throughout the rest of the dinner, talking about cases they worked on, occasionally laughing about some event in the workplace.**

**Dinner was over and Ryan was driving Calleigh home. He walked her up to her apartment. She unlocked the door. "Will you come in?" Calleigh asked. "Sure." Ryan walked in. As soon as she had her door closed, Calleigh grabbed Ryan and kissed him. "Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful." "My pleasure." Ryan replied as he lifted Calleigh off the ground to kiss her again. Suddenly, he put her down. "What's wrong?" Calleigh looked at Ryan as he composed himself. "I think I drank too much wine tonight." Ryan rubbed his forehead. "Do you mind if I sit down?" "No, I don't." Calleigh took his hand and led him into her living room. They both sat down on her sofa. Ryan leaned forward to kiss Calleigh. "You smell good." He kissed her neck. Calleigh swooned at the touch of his lips. He leaned back, rubbing the side of his head. "I don't suppose that I can get a couple of aspirin?" "I'll be right back." Calleigh got up to go to her bathroom to get Ryan some aspirin. When she returned, Ryan looked like he was going to pass out. She handed him the aspirin and a glass of water. Swallowing the pills, he started to get up. "Where are you going?" "I need to go." "Oh no you're not." Calleigh sat him back down on the sofa. "I think that you had too much to drink. I want you to stay here tonight." "Cal, I don't want to be an inconvenience, I'm fine." Ryan argued, then tried to get up again. Calleigh pushed him back down. "Ryan, you are never an 'inconvenience' to me. Please stay here tonight." "Well, if you insist." Ryan said with a chuckle. Calleigh got up as Ryan stretched out on the sofa. "I'll get you a blanket." Calleigh went to her hall closet. When she returned, Ryan was sound asleep. "He looks so peaceful sleeping there," Calleigh thought to herself as she smiled. She unfolded the blanket and draped it over him. She went to her bedroom to undress, stripping down to her undies and putting on a t-shirt to sleep in. She walked back to the living room to turn off the light when Ryan stirred slightly. "Calleigh." He mumbled. She leaned over Ryan to answer him. "Yes?" "Please stay here with me tonight." Calleigh felt her heart skip a beat. She wondered if she should lay here with him, or leave him alone and sleep in her room by herself. Without giving it another thought, she turned off the light on the table and laid down next to him, her back to him as she stretched out. She felt his arm reach across her waist and pull her closer to his body. She smiled in the dark. She wanted so long to lay next to him. He kissed the back of her neck. "Thank you," he managed to say before he drifted back off to sleep. Calleigh soon joined him.**

**_to be continued_…**


	14. Putting a Plan Into Action

**A/N: I hate to leave people hanging, but this is the last chapter I'll be able to post for a while due to moving back to L.A. Hopefully, it won't take me too long to get back online and update. Thanks to all who've read up to this point and enjoyed the story.**

**Roger**

**

* * *

CHAPTER 14**

**Calleigh awoke from her sleep. She wondered what time it was. Looking up, the clock said 6:14 a.m. She sat up and looked over at Ryan, still sleeping soundly next to her on the couch. She smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she was so happy to wake up next to somebody. "Ryan, wake up." She shook him gently, enough for him to awake. "Huh?" was his reply. "It's a quarter after 6," Calleigh ran her hand through his hair. "We need to get ready for work." "What?" Ryan sat up, slowly remembering that he was still at Calleigh's. He looked at Calleigh, quickly realizing that she was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look." Ryan diverted his eyes and turned his head. Calleigh reached up and turned his face back towards her. "It's ok. I would have taken a look myself if you weren't still wearing your dress shirt and slacks." She pulled him closer and kissed him. Ryan wrapped his arms around her. He paused to speak. "I'm not going to have time to drive home and take a shower. Do you mind if I take one here?" "I don't mind at all," Calleigh answered, fighting the urge to ask if he wanted her to join him. "Do you have any spare clothes?" "Yeah. I keep a spare set of clothes in my duffel bag." Ryan said as he got up to put on his shoes. Calleigh stood up herself. "I'll go ahead and take my shower while you go and get your clothes." "Ok," was Ryan's answer. He left the apartment to get his clothes out of his car while Calleigh walked into the bathroom.**

**Calleigh turned on the water for the shower and removed her t-shirt and panties. Stepping into the blast of water, she started to think about her date with Ryan. She still couldn't get over the fact that he admitted his virginity. "I wonder if he'll let me be 'the one' to take it from him?" Calleigh paused in her thoughts. She couldn't believe what she just thought of. They haven't had sex yet, but she knew that their relationship would no doubt lead to it. She wanted so badly to sleep with Ryan, but now she was concerned. His first time would be with her. It did make her feel flattered in a way, but she remembered her first time and it was not memorable. Calleigh thought back to when her high school boyfriend came over when no one else was at home and she gave her virginity to him. The entire event lasted about a minute. After he was done, he got up and left. He left Calleigh there, alone on her bed in the dark, crying to herself. She felt like she was just used, which in a way she was. She shuddered at the memory. She knew that she wouldn't be the same way towards Ryan, but she wanted his first time to be special and worth remembering, at least Calleigh wanted it to. She didn't want to rush things with Ryan. She didn't want to hurt him and she herself didn't want to get hurt. The knock at her bathroom door interrupted her thoughts. "Cal?" Calleigh forgot how long she already was in the shower. "I'll be right out, Ryan." She yelled over the sound of the bathroom fan. She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and turned off the water. She got out and dried off. Calleigh realized that she left her robe in her bedroom; she would have to walk out wearing just a towel. "Nothing wrong with that," Calleigh thought as she slowly smiled. She opened the door to see Ryan standing there, holding his clean clothes. His mouth slightly dropped as he looked at Calleigh, holding a towel around her, her still wet hair hanging down onto her shoulders. "I got the water all nice and hot for you," Calleigh said in a sexy voice, intentionally turning on her drawl. Calleigh was going to tease him a little bit. She walked down the hallway, away from Ryan and towards her bedroom. Just as she got to her room, she turned around to face Ryan and purposely let go of her towel on one side, causing it to unravel, but was still covering her from the front. "There's a clean towel in there for you," she purred. As she closed the door, Ryan stepped into the bathroom and proceeded to take the coldest shower of his life.**

**The two of them drove to work in their own vehicles. Arriving at headquarters first, Ryan parked his car, got out and waited for Calleigh. She pulled in a few minutes later. He walked over to her as she got out. "Hey, I never thanked you for letting me stay at your place last night." "It was my pleasure, Ryan. I didn't think you should have drove home. You didn't look too well." "Cal, I only had three glasses of wine." "Well, Ryan…when was the last time you actually drank anything stronger then beer?" Ryan was silent, trying to remember. Calleigh nodded her head. "That's what I thought." Calleigh grabbed Ryan's hand. "I enjoyed every moment having you over at my place." Ryan looked at Calleigh, then looked down. "I can't believe that I asked you to stay with me." "I don't." Calleigh answered. "Well," Ryan continued to look down. "I didn't want you to think I was trying to get you to sleep with me. You know, in _that_ way." Calleigh smiled. That's what she loved about Ryan. He was honest with his emotions. He actually did care about how she felt. She didn't think she did anything last night that she didn't want to. "Ryan…not once did I think that you were trying to take advantage of me. I laid with you because I wanted to. I did like it when you put your arm around me and pulled me close to you." "I did that?" Ryan looked embarrassed. Calleigh noticed his expression. "Yes you did. And I enjoyed every minute of it." She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Ryan returned her kiss. "I can't believe what I'm seeing with my own two eyes." The two of them looked over to see Eric standing about 10 feet away, with a look of surprise on his face. "I'm starting to get tired of people catching us," Ryan muttered under his breath. Calleigh ignored him and focused on Eric. "Eric, keep your opinion to yourself." "Relax, Cal. I didn't say anything." Eric replied as he held his hands up to calm her. "I'm just surprised that the two of you finally followed though on your feelings for each other." Calleigh looked confused. "How did you know how I felt?" "Calleigh, please. For months I thought you had feelings for Wolfe. I would see the way you looked at him. Heck, you were almost hanging all over him Friday night. I knew you had something for him the way you acted. I just wasn't going to say anything until I saw it for myself." Eric looked at Ryan. "No wonder you weren't interested in me setting you up on any dates. I would see how you would look at her sometimes too, but I wasn't sure until Friday. Why do you think I made that comment about '1+1'?" Calleigh looked at Ryan. He didn't say a word but stared at Eric and nodded. Eric looked down at his watch. "Guys, I'd love to talk some more, but it's now 8:05 and I _really_ don't want to hear it from H." Without any more words between the three of them, they all quietly walked inside, Calleigh holding Ryan's hand until they had to split up and go to their respective labs. "See you at lunchtime," Ryan said as he kissed Calleigh. "Can't wait, handsome." And with that, they both went on their separate ways.**

**Lunchtime came and Calleigh walked into Trace to see Ryan looking over some paperwork. "Care to have a pretty girl take you out for lunch?" Ryan smiled as he looked up at Calleigh. "Sure. Where do you have in mind?" "There's a nice deli around the corner. I thought that we could go there." Ryan got up and walked over to Calleigh. Kissing her, he replied, "How about a little snack first?" Calleigh snickered as she returned his kiss. "Let's get out of here." The two of them were sitting at the deli talking about the work they did that morning. "Thanks for the lunch, Cal." "My pleasure." Calleigh was about to put a major plan into motion. "Ryan?" "Yes?" Ryan answered as he wiped his mouth. "How would you like to come over to my place Friday night and I can make you an genuine southern dinner?" "A southern dinner?" Ryan leaned forward, intrigued at what Calleigh was getting at. "Yes, I would make us some chicken-fried steak with a side of cornbread, topped off with a special dessert." "A special dessert, huh?" Ryan was now fully curious. "What kind of dessert?" "You'll have to come over to find out. It's a secret." Calleigh gave Ryan a naughty grin. "Oh, I'll definitely be there," was Ryan's answer. Calleigh took a sip of her tea. Friday night was going to be _the_ night. She truly loved him and she was going to show her love. If Ryan knew what she was getting at, he didn't let on. Calleigh still wondered if she was rushing into things. But she figured that they were two consenting adults who really loved each other and even more importantly, cared about each other. The touch of Ryan's hand stirred Calleigh from her thoughts. "Are you ok? You seem a little distant." "Oh, I'm just thinking about what I need to do for Friday night." Calleigh smiled at Ryan. Ryan reached over and gave her a kiss. "If you need me for anything on Friday, I'm more than happy to help out." "I'll need you to help me do something _after_ dinner," Calleigh thought to herself. She looked at Ryan, who was waiting for an answer. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I have everything under control." She lifted her arm up and ran her fingers over the side of his head, tucking his hair behind his ear. Lunchtime was over and two of them picked up their trays to leave. As they went outside, Ryan wrapped his arm around Calleigh's waist and pulled her closer to him as they walked to her car. As they got near, he lowered his head and whispered into her ear. "I can't wait until Friday night." Calleigh lifted her head up to look at him. "Neither can I, handsome." **

_**to be continued…**_


	15. When Two Make One

A/N: WARNING: This is the chapter that earns its "adult rating". I tried to keep it as clean as possible, but one persons "R" could be someone else's "NC-17" and vice-versa, so who really knows. I hope that this chapter was worth waiting for. I apologize in advance if it doesn't live up to everybody's expectations. Since I'm still without a computer, I had to write this chapter in bits and pieces at different library computers in L.A. and string all the parts together…I tried to smooth it out as best as I can. This story has a few more chapters left to it, but it might be awhile before I can get the next chapter done. I appreciate the kind emails and reviews that were sent to me over the last few weeks waiting for the update. Thanks to all who read this far and stuck with the story. See you soon (I hope).

Roger

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CHAPTER 15**

**The rest of the week had gone by relatively fast and it was now Friday afternoon. Calleigh was on her way home to prepare the meal for her and Ryan. She had stopped by Trace on her way out and told Ryan to be at her apartment at 8. Since she was done with work an hour early, it gave her plenty of time to prepare. Once she arrived at her place, she changed out of her work clothes and started to make dinner. While the food was cooking, she set the table with the dishes and silverware, finishing the placing with two candles. Looking up at the clock, it read 7:45. Calleigh quickly walked back over to the oven and pulled out the dishes she cooked and placed them on her table. She then went over to the refrigerator and took out the salad she prepared and grabbed a carton of milk. Setting the items down, she took one final look over the table to make sure everything was all ready. Calleigh walked into the bathroom to wash her face and untie her hair from the ponytail she had on while cooking. As she brushed her hair out, she looked into the mirror as she thought to herself, "I'm not going to change into anything. I want to keep it laid back and if it all goes well, I won't have much clothing to remove to begin with." A naughty smirk formed on her face. Calleigh left the bathroom and walked into her bedroom to make sure everything was in place: a few candles in the right spots and a CD player ready to play some light music. She wanted Ryan to feel comfortable and as little nervous as possible. This would be a major emotional experience for the both of them and she wanted to give him something wonderful that he would remember and hopefully something wonderful for her to remember, too. Sitting down on the corner of the bed, Calleigh waited for the knock on the door. A minute of two later, the knock came and she stood up. As she walked back into the kitchen, she lit the candles on the table and headed for the door. She took one final look at herself in the mirror as she pulled the door open.**

"**Hey handsome," Calleigh said as she looked at Ryan. "Come on in." Ryan froze as he stared at Calleigh. She was standing right in front of him barefoot, wearing nothing but a white t-shirt and a pair of cutoffs. He never had seen anything so sexy in his life. It was all he could do to compose himself and lean down and forward for a kiss which Calleigh was more than happy to give to him. He followed Calleigh into the kitchen, setting his jacket down on the counter. "Please sit down. I'll make you a plate." Ryan sat in his seat as Calleigh lifted the lids off the containers that held the food. She pulled out a piece of chicken fried steak out of the first one and then a big piece of cornbread out of the second. She placed the plate down in front of Ryan, and then proceeded to make her own plate. As she sat down, Ryan reached for the salad. He scooped out his portion and handed the bowl to Calleigh, who was pouring the milk into the glasses. She stopped to watch Ryan take his first bite. His eyes lit up. "Calleigh, this is _so_ good. I can't believe that I've never had food like this before." She smiled. "Well, I'm glad that I didn't lose my cooking skills. It's been too long since I've made food for anybody." "Calleigh, you could make me anything and I'll eat it." Ryan replied as he picked up his cornbread to take a bite. Calleigh reached over and touched his arm. "Ryan, you need to butter it first. It will taste better." She pushed the tray of butter over to him. "Oh, I didn't think of that. This is my first time at trying this, you know." Ryan's words caused Calleigh to let out a little giggle. "Interesting choice of words," she thought to herself. Ryan looked at her. "What? You're laughing at me?" Ryan pretended to look offended. Calleigh smiled as he took a bite of cornbread. "Wow," Ryan mumbled as he spoke with a mouthful of food. "This is very good." He reached over and grabbed his glass of milk to take a sip. Calleigh watched him very closely. Ryan noticed her staring at him out of the corner of his eye. "What is it? Is there food on the side of my mouth?" He asked, as he set his glass back down. "No, you're fine." Calleigh continued to look at Ryan. "I'm just so happy that you're here right now with me and enjoying dinner." Ryan reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm happy to be here with you too, Cal." Calleigh placed her other hand on top of Ryan's as she leaned over to kiss him. As she kissed him, she could taste the remnants of his cornbread on his lips. She opened her eyes to look at Ryan. "I could never get tired of this." He said, as he looked into her eyes. "I hope you never do." Calleigh replied as she sat back up in her chair. Ryan looked at her plate. "Calleigh, you haven't eaten much. Is something wrong?" "No, not really…well, I'm a little nervous about dessert." Calleigh looked down at her plate. "I hope you'll like it." Ryan reached over and lifted her chin up so she would look directly at him. "Calleigh, if it's just as good as dinner, you'll have nothing to worry about. Relax. Enjoy your dinner." Calleigh couldn't believe that he didn't pick up on what she was talking about. "I can't believe that he would be _that_ naive." She thought to herself as she picked up her fork to eat. **

**The two of them were soon finished and Calleigh got up to clean the table. Ryan looked up. "Do you need me to help?" "No, I'm fine, Ryan. I'll take care of it." She placed the dishes in the sink and walked back over to the table to put the milk and salad dressing back into the fridge. She then quickly walked into her bedroom to light the candles and turn the CD player on." Thank you very much for dinner. It was wonderful." Ryan said as she walked back into the kitchen. Calleigh walked over to the table and stood directly in front of Ryan. "Are you ready for dessert?" "Sure. What is it?" Replied Ryan, as he looked at Calleigh. "Cal, why are you shaking?" "Because of _this_." She answered as she leaned down and kissed him hard on the lips. Ryan paused briefly, then reached up and placed his hand on the back of Calleigh's head and pushed her closer to him, his tongue meeting hers. They kissed deeply, never breaking the touch of their lips as Calleigh slowly backed up, letting Ryan get up from the chair. "I want you. I want you now." Calleigh mumbled as she went in for another kiss. They continued to kiss for a few more seconds before Ryan broke away. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Calleigh looked at Ryan, confusion in her eyes. "No, you did nothing wrong. I-I just didn't think that it was going to lead up to this tonight." Ryan looked down at the floor. "I was so convinced that I was coming over just for dinner that I didn't bring any protection." "You don't need to worry about that," Calleigh answered as she took his face into her hands and looked into his eyes. "I'm on the pill." "You are?" Ryan said, his voice slightly quivering. "For how long?" "Three months now." Calleigh replied. Ryan's eyes narrowed. "Why? Were you anticipating something?" Calleigh let out a naughty laugh. "Kiss me, you fool." Ryan leaned back down to kiss Calleigh again. She then pulled him into the direction of the bedroom. As they both walked into the bedroom, Calleigh looked up at Ryan. "Are you nervous?" "A little bit," Ryan whispered as he took her hand. "You don't think we're rushing into things do you?" Calleigh reached up and cradled his face with her other hand. "Ryan, how long have we known each other?" "About a year." He said as he kissed her hand. Calleigh spoke again. "And how long have you had feelings for me?" "Calleigh, I've been in love with you for about 5 months now." She smiled. "It's been about the same for me, Ryan. I thought long and hard about this myself. I love you so much that I want to show my love to you. Will you let me?" "Yes. God knows how many times I've dreamt about this." Ryan reached down to unbutton his shirt before Calleigh's hand stopped him. "No. Let me do this. God knows how many times _I've_ dreamt about this." Ryan let out a nervous chuckle as she removed his shirt. **

**Reaching down to his waist, she pulled at the belt, releasing it from the buckle as she kissed his now naked chest. Ryan groaned from the touch of her lips. He quickly kicked his shoes off as Calleigh was now starting to unzip his pants. Ryan walked backwards onto the bed so he could pull his pants off. Calleigh leaned down to kiss him deeply. As she kissed him, she reached out with her hands and pulled his underwear down. She then placed her hand on the shaft of his penis. The touch of her hand made Ryan gasp loudly. "Relax. Lay down." Calleigh whispered into his ear. Ryan laid his head onto the pillow and looked up at Calleigh as started to undress. She undid her cutoffs, revealing a pink pair of lacey underwear. She then pulled her shirt off and climbed onto the bed, her breasts slightly bouncing as she bent down to remove her underwear. Calleigh laid down next to Ryan, wrapping one arm across his chest and taking her free hand to his hair, running her fingers through it as Ryan's lips met hers. Calleigh could feel her heart beating faster. Ryan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. His breath quickened as he felt her bare breasts rub against him. He reached down and ran his hand along her backside, slightly groping one of her butt cheeks. They kissed each other passionately for a few more minutes before Calleigh lifted herself away from Ryan. "Are you ready?" "Yes," Ryan answered as Calleigh raised her right leg over and straddled him. She leaned forward on his chest to kiss him again. "I love you." "I love you too, Calleigh." She reached down and grabbed his penis, moving the head in place between her thighs. Positioning herself, she looked into Ryan's eyes as she lowered herself back down onto his lap, slowly taking him in until he was fully inside her. She gasped, from the sensation between her legs that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feeling she missed. She looked down at Ryan's chest, trying to compose herself. She then slowly looked up to see Ryan's reaction. His eyes were shut, as if he was trying to comprehend the sensations he himself were feeling.**

"**Ryan, look at me." Ryan opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Calleigh. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked at that moment. There were so many emotions and feelings running through him at the same time that were new to him; it was all he could do to keep himself from climaxing. Calleigh gently grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. She then placed her own hands on his chest and started lifting herself up and down on his shaft slowly. Ryan slowly pulled and pushed on her hips, meeting her rhythm, stroke by stroke. Calleigh leaned down to passionately kiss Ryan again before she started to go faster, the speed of her breathing increasing by the second. Ryan reached up and cupped her breasts with his hands, slowly squeezing them. Calleigh reacted by lifting her hands off of Ryan's chest and placing them on top of his. Suddenly, Calleigh could feel a slight tingle between her legs, starting to grow and spread. She realized she was about to climax, which startled her: she never had an orgasm with a penis inside of her before. "Oh my god," Calleigh moaned as she started to shake, her body tensing up as she let go of Ryan's hands, which were still placed on her breasts. Calleigh squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the energy in her body explode in all directions, creating waves of pleasure that engulfed her completely. She fell forward onto Ryan's chest, completely exhausted, tears running down her face as she sobbed. Ryan became alarmed. "Cal? Are you ok?" He lifted her head up and wiped away the tears. Calleigh composed herself. "I'm fine," she whispered, before slowly kissing him. "The emotion is too much for me sometimes." She slowly sat up, with Ryan still inside of her. She pulled herself off of him and rolled over. "Come here." Calleigh pulled Ryan on top of her as they kissed. He reached down and slowly inserted himself back into Calleigh as she wrapped her arms around his back. Their tongues darted in and out of each other's mouth as Ryan started to thrust faster and faster. The sensation of her wet heat finally overtook his control and he moved his head away from her mouth and buried his face in her neck as his body shuddered, releasing himself inside of her, holding her tightly as he climaxed. **

**After his body relaxed, he raised his head to look at Calleigh. She looked into his eyes with a twinkle. "How was it for you?" She couldn't resist asking. He kissed her deeply. "I never felt this good before in my life," he replied as he rolled off of Calleigh to lie on his back. He reached over to pull her closer to him. "Was I ok?" "You were more than ok. You were wonderful." Calleigh answered as she placed her head on his chest and hugged him. Ryan kissed the top of her head. "I really can't even describe what I'm feeling, Cal…it's like…wow." Calleigh giggled at his comment. "I feel so happy that you enjoyed it, Ryan." She paused for a moment. "Thank you." "Thank you? What do you mean?" Ryan was confused over Calleigh's remark. Calleigh looked up at Ryan. "For letting me be your first. It meant a lot to me that I'm the one you gave your virginity to." "Well, it's not that I was trying real hard to give it away," Ryan replied as he stroked her hair. "I just wasn't going to give to somebody I didn't have feelings for. And I'm glad that you were 'the one', because I just couldn't see myself giving it to someone else. I really love you with all of my heart." Calleigh could feel tears coming to her eyes again. She lifted herself up to Ryan's face to kiss him. "I love you too, Ryan." They kissed passionately, before Ryan stopped. "What is it?" Calleigh asked. "You never did tell me what you made for dessert." Ryan said as he tried to maintain a serious look. "What?" Calleigh reached over and grabbed her pillow, swinging it back over into Ryan's face. Ryan started laughing. "Calm down, Cal. I'm just playing with you." "I know." Calleigh said in a joking voice as she realized that she was getting sleepy. She snuggled back down onto Ryan's chest. They laid there quietly for a few minutes before Calleigh spoke again. "I think I could lie here forever," she whispered as she yawned. "Couldn't you?" The only answer Calleigh heard from Ryan was his breathing being slow and steady. She looked up and realized that he was asleep. "I think I'll join you handsome," she thought to herself as she reached down and pulled the sheets up. She smiled as she fell asleep with Ryan's arms wrapped around her and feeling his heart beating slowly in his chest.**

**_to be continued_…**


	16. The Morning After

**A/N: Well, I'm surprised that I was lucky enough to find the time to do this chapter in such a short period. I don't know if I'll have the same chance again for the next one, but I'll try. Enjoy.**

**Roger**

**P.S. This chapter also merits a "warning" for adult content. Read at your own risk. **

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CHAPTER 16 **

**The sunlight coming in through the bedroom window awoke Ryan. He slowly opened his eyes, which showed signs of confusion. He wasn't aware of his surroundings. Then he remembered what happened last night. Was it all a dream? He looked over to see Calleigh sleeping peacefully next to him. During the night, she had moved over to the other side of the bed and was now sleeping on her side, facing Ryan. She looked so beautiful lying there. Ryan exhaled, glad to know that what happened last night wasn't a dream at all. Ryan felt like the luckiest man alive. He couldn't believe that he was lying next to what he thought was the most beautiful woman in the world. He reached over to brush the hair away that was covering her face. He couldn't help but run his hand through her hair. His touch stirred Calleigh awake. She looked up to see Ryan smiling at her, the touch of his hand felt soothing to Calleigh. "Good morning," he said. "Mornin', handsome." Calleigh purred, as she moved back over to lie next to Ryan. "What time is it?" Ryan looked over at the alarm clock. "It's 8:17." Calleigh lifted herself up to Ryan to kiss him. "Did you sleep well?" "It was probably the most relaxing sleep I had in ages." Answered Ryan, as he kissed her. "How about yourself?" "Ryan, I can't tell you the last time I felt so content." Calleigh laid back down, resting her head on his chest. Ryan reached up to stroke her hair again. Calleigh smiled. The silence was broken by the sound of Calleigh's phone going off on the nightstand next to Ryan. "Can you get that for me?" Calleigh asked him. "Tell whoever it is that I'll call them back in an hour." "Are you sure?" Ryan reached for the phone as Calleigh nodded. He lifted the phone off of the receiver. "Hello?" **

**"Well, Detective Wolfe. I didn't expect to get you when I called for Calleigh." "Oh, shit." Ryan muttered as he realized that the person calling was Horatio. Calleigh sat up after hearing the tone of Ryan's voice. "Who is it?" Ryan placed his hand over the receiver. "It's H." Calleigh reached over and took the phone from Ryan. "Horatio?" Ryan sat and looked at Calleigh while she talked. "Yes. Yes. I'm fine. Yeah, I turned my cellphone off last night. No, I don't mind you calling my home number. Sure, I can be there. In about 2 hours? Ok. Yeah, I'll bring him too. Well, thank you. See you soon. Bye." Calleigh handed the phone back to Ryan. "Horatio needs the both of us to come into the lab today." "What for?" Ryan asked as he placed the phone back on the receiver. "I.A. wants us to come in and give a deposition on a case they're working on." Calleigh replied as she got out of bed. She walked around the bed and sat down next to Ryan. "Obviously, we both need to shower before we leave." "You can go first," Ryan interjected. "I'm fine in waiting." Calleigh placed her hand on Ryan's leg. "No, Ryan. _You're_ taking one with me." Ryan's face lit up. "Let's go," he said. **

**The two walked down the hall and into the bathroom. Calleigh reached into the shower to turn it on as Ryan came up behind her and gently started kissing the back of her neck. Her body trembled at the touch of his lips running up and around her neck to her ear, where he then placed his lips around her earlobe and gently sucked on it. "Ryan," Calleigh spoke in a shaky voice, trying to catch her breath. "Wait until we're in the shower." "I don't want to wait." Ryan whispered into her ear, before returning to her earlobe, gently nibbling it as he reached around with his hands, gently squeezing both of her breasts. Calleigh felt like she was going to faint from his touch, her body aching for more. She could feel herself getting wet. She broke free of Ryan's touch and stepped into the shower. He quickly followed her inside. "Where was I?" Ryan asked as his lips met Calleigh's; the warm water from the showerhead engulfing the two of them. Calleigh reached down and stroked Ryan as he leaned forward and placed his hands under her butt and gently lifted her up. Bracing her against the shower wall, he entered Calleigh as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She placed her arms around his neck as he slowly went deeper and deeper inside of her. Calleigh softly moaned as Ryan started to go faster with every thrust, finally giving one final thrust as he climaxed. He quickly reached over to grab the shower rod to steady himself from his knees going weak. He kissed Calleigh deeply as he lowered her back down onto the floor of the shower. She kissed his chest as he put his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. They stood together quietly, for about a minute; embracing each other as the water fell all around them. **

**Calleigh lifted her head up. "Ryan?" Ryan looked down at Calleigh. "Yes?" "Do you think you can put up with me in the long run?" "Cal, I made it this far, didn't I?" Ryan said, jokingly. Calleigh gave him a playful shove. "No, I'm serious. You know how I can be sometimes." "Yes, I do know," answered Ryan as he remembered times when he and Calleigh would work on a case together and when he didn't 'follow protocol', he would end up getting an earful from Calleigh. He looked into her eyes. "Calleigh, if I had let something like that bother me, I obviously wouldn't be where I am right now. I fell in love with you the way you are. In fact, I'm still wondering how you put up with me." "Who says that I do?" Calleigh grinned. "Bitch." Ryan muttered as he rolled his eyes. The two laughed and then kissed each other. Calleigh reached for the soap. "We need to finish up before we run out of hot water." She lathered up and handed the soap to Ryan. "Will you get my back?" "With pleasure." Ryan said as Calleigh turned her back towards him. He started slowly, rubbing the tops of her shoulders, and then moved down her back. She bit her lower lip; the touch of his hands in contact with her skin made her quiver with excitement. She couldn't believe how easy he turned her on. It surprised her that he was first man to make her feel so connected with her emotions. Ryan finished and stepped aside so she could rinse off. As he reached for the soap he just placed in the dish, she stopped him. "No," Calleigh said as she reached for the soap herself. "I want to wash you. _All_ of you." **

**Ryan snickered as Calleigh saw the look on his face. "Don't laugh! It's always been a fantasy of mine to scrub down a hot guy." "A hot guy? Where?" Ryan asked as he looked over Calleigh's shoulder. "Don't be foolish, Ryan. I think you're hot. Step back from the water." Calleigh took the soap and started rubbing down Ryan's body. She ran her hands all over his chest, then reached down and scrubbed his penis. Ryan felt himself becoming erect again from her touch. Calleigh gave him a devilish look before breaking eye contact to crouch down and run her hands down his legs, covering them with soap. "Turn around." Said Calleigh as she stood back up. Ryan turned around and Calleigh kissed the middle of his back softly before running soap across it. She couldn't help but smile. She had only wanted to do this for so long and now it was finally happening. She stepped aside. "Ok, time to rinse." Just as Ryan was about to turn around, she reached out with her hand to one of his buttcheeks and pinched it. Her action caused Ryan to jump slightly. "What did you do that for?" He faced Calleigh. "I couldn't help it," Calleigh spoke as she giggled. "You have a cute butt. I couldn't resist." "Well, ok." Ryan answered. "But I may have to punish you for it later." "I'm counting on it, handsome." Calleigh replied as she leaned up to kiss him. Ryan stepped into the water as Calleigh looked at his butt again. She was about to reach out for another pinch before she heard the words "Don't even think about it" come from Ryan's mouth as he rinsed off. Calleigh snickered to herself from Ryan being able to read her mind. Ryan reached up and turned the water off. Opening the curtain, he grabbed Calleigh's towel and handed it to her as he reached for his.**

"**Are you doing anything tonight?" Calleigh asked as she wrapped the towel around her hair. "Yeah, I have plans for tonight." Ryan answered, as he handed Calleigh another towel. "Oh. That's too bad." Calleigh could not help but sound disappointed. She was hoping to spend the weekend with Ryan. Ryan stepped out of the tub and reached out for Calleigh's hand. "Cal, my plans were to take you out to dinner and have you stay at my place tonight." "They were?" Calleigh suddenly was now cheerful again; her change in mood not lost on Ryan. He helped her out of the tub. "Now, I don't know if you can handle having me around for two nights in a row." He said with a somewhat sarcastic tone. Calleigh rolled her eyes and let out a fake laugh. "You know I'm not sick of you. I would love to stay at your place tonight." "That's wonderful." Ryan replied, as he wrapped his towel around his waist. "Is there anywhere in particular you want to go to dinner?" "I don't need to tell you Ryan. You pick the place. Now we better hurry up and get dressed. I don't want H. calling back and asking why we're late." Calleigh pulled him down to her, giving him a sensual kiss. "Why don't you make reservations while I get dressed? I'll go out to your car and get your clean clothes so you don't have to put your dirty ones back on." Calleigh left the bathroom as Ryan went over to the sink to comb his hair. Walking out into the living room, he flipped through the yellow pages until he got to the one page that was used to being opened to from time to time. Calling the number, he heard a voice that he knew personally.**

"**Hello and thank you for calling Lombardi's," the voice on the other line said.**

**_to be continued_…**


	17. Secret Smile

**CHAPTER 17**

**Calleigh walked out to Ryan's car to retrieve his spare clothes. Opening the trunk, she placed a duffel bag of her own clothes to use at Ryan's for the night over. While she was outside, Ryan finished his reservation with Lombardi's and made another call. The voice on the other line was full of sleep. "Delko." "Eric? It's Ryan. Did I wake you?" "Yeah, man. I didn't get home until 4am." Eric looked at the time and let out a small groan. "Oh, I'm sorry to bother you this early." Ryan answered as he looked around the corner to see if Calleigh was back inside. "It's ok." Eric wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What do you want?" "Um, you know that dance hall your friend Jerry works at?" Ryan kept his eyes on the door. "Yeah, what about it?" Eric replied. "Can I get the address from you?" Ryan reached for a pad of paper to write it down. He quickly wrote the address down, hoping that Calleigh wouldn't be walking through the door anytime soon. "Thanks, Eric. See you later." "You want to tell me what this is all about, Ryan?" Eric was now curious at why Ryan wanted the address. "Sorry, I don't have the time to tell you right now. I'll tell you on Monday. Thanks again." "Sure. Anytime." Eric hung up and switched his ringtone to 'vibrate' before throwing the phone onto the table and going back to sleep. Ryan hung up and ripped the address off of the pad and stuck it in his wallet as Calleigh walked in. "Here are your clothes." Calleigh set the clothes on the table in front of Ryan and handed him his keys. "I already put my clothes in the trunk for tonight." Ryan reached around Calleigh's waist with his arm and pulled her close to him. "Make sure you bring an evening dress with you tonight." Ryan whispered in her ear before bending down to kiss her. "I already have one hanging in the back of your car." Calleigh answered before she placed her lips against his. "We better get going." The two kissed and left her apartment to head to work.**

**As they stopped at a light, Ryan looked over at Calleigh. She was dressed in all white, with her hair tied back into a ponytail. "My angel." He thought to himself. He reached over and took her hand into his. His touch turned her attention away from the side window. She looked at him, her eyes filled with love. Her face lit up into a huge smile that seemed to be a secret smile that was just for him and no one else. He smiled himself and leaned over to kiss her. Their kiss was interrupted by the sound of a car horn honking behind them. Ryan quickly realized that he was now blocking the traffic on a green light. "Oops." Ryan mumbled as he shifted back into his seat and drove off. Calleigh let out a little chuckle. Ryan sighed, and then spoke. "I can't believe that we have to go into work." Calleigh turned her head to face him. "It won't be too bad, Ryan. H. said that it would be only a couple of hours." "Oh, yeah. H." Ryan replied as he looked forward, putting a tighter grip on the steering wheel. Calleigh noticed his body language. "What about H?" "It always seems like that he's busting my chops over something, then playing it off because he wasn't serious in the first place." Ryan said in response to Calleigh's question, while he still looked forward. Calleigh placed her hand on Ryan's leg. "Ryan, he's always like that to the youngest member of the team. Horatio likes you very much. He wouldn't joke with you if he didn't." "But Cal, I'm getting tired of walking on eggshells around him because I can't tell when he's joking." Ryan glanced over at Calleigh. She removed her hand from Ryan's lap and placed it on the side of his head, running her fingers through his hair. "Don't worry about it." Ryan let out a little smile. He looked over at Calleigh. "By the way...when you were talking to him this morning, what were you thanking him about? I seriously doubt you were thanking him for making us come in on a Saturday." Calleigh broke into a grin. "Well...he asked if I was ok and if you were treating me well. Then he said that he was happy for me and wished nothing but the best for the two of us." "He did, huh?" Said Ryan, as he started to blush. Calleigh looked at him closer. "Are you blushing?" "No!" Ryan half-shouted, now feeling a little embarrassed. Calleigh could not help but tease Ryan. "Yes you are! Looks like you're getting a sunburn." Ryan playfully pretended to swat Calleigh away like an annoying bug. "Stop it." She laughed. **

**Ryan pulled into the parking lot at work. They both got out and went inside. Horatio was waiting for them by the front desk. He turned to face Calleigh. "Calleigh, you are needed in Conference Room 1A. Ryan-come with me." Ryan shot Calleigh a puzzled look. Calleigh shrugged her shoulders and left for the conference room. Ryan and Horatio walked away in the other direction. The two of them went up to Horatio's office. "Have a seat, Ryan." Horatio gestured at an empty chair as he went around his desk. Ryan sat down. "Um, H...shouldn't I be waiting downstairs for the deposition?" "The agent who you'll be talking to doesn't need you for another 30 minutes," answered Horatio. "I thought that we could have a little talk first about you and Calleigh." "No respect Horatio, but I think that it's none of your business." Ryan folded his arms across his chest; anticipating what Horatio was going to say in response. Horatio leaned forward in his chair. "Ryan-when two of my employees get involved in an inter-office relationship, it _is_ my business. I have to look out for what's best for the team. I don't need any conflicts should relations between the two of you go south." "I don't think that's going to happen." Ryan tried hard to stay calm, but he felt himself getting angrier by the minute. He felt that the conversation would turn into a shouting match if he didn't get up and leave the room. He started to get up. "Sit down, Wolfe." The tone in Horatio's voice convinced Ryan otherwise and he lowered himself back down into his seat. Horatio crossed his fingers and looked down at his desk. "What I have to say is between you and me. Calleigh is a close friend of mine. She in fact, thinks of me as a father figure, which leads her to tell me about her problems and deepest fears. None of them that I'm going to share with you." Ryan sat there quietly as Horatio stood up. He walked over and sat down in the chair next to Ryan. He continued to speak. "I don't know how much she has told you about her past relationships and it's none of my business to tell you myself, but she has been hurt. And I don't like seeing Calleigh hurt." Ryan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Horatio...I would never do anything to upset or hurt Calleigh. You should know that by now. She means too much to me. I'm thankful to have someone like her in my life." Horatio let a small smile form on his lips. "That's all I needed to hear, Ryan. If Calleigh thinks the world of you, then so do I. You've already done more than enough to prove yourself around here. I may not say it or act it at times, but I've always appreciated what you've done for the team." "Thanks." Ryan mumbled as he looked down at the floor, still uncomfortable to be in the room talking with Horatio. Inside, he was somewhat happy that H. gave him a compliment, but his nerves were getting the better of him. The phone on Horatio's desk started ringing. Horatio went back over to his desk and answered it. "Caine. Yes, he's still here. I'll send him right down. Thank you." Horatio looked at Ryan. "They're ready for you downstairs in Conference Room 1B."**

**Ryan left Horatio's office and headed back downstairs. As he made his way to the conference room, he passed the room Calleigh was in. He looked through the window. Calleigh was sitting at the table, looking at the agent who was recording her deposition. As she was talking, she slightly turned her head and looked toward the window that Ryan was at. Making sure that the agent wouldn't see her expression, she winked at Ryan. He quickly smiled and gave a brief wave before continuing down the hall. Entering the room, he was instructed by his agent to sit down at the table. For the next hour, Ryan spoke about the case at hand, yet felt somewhat distracted due to thinking about Calleigh. He finished his deposition and went back out to the front desk. Not seeing Calleigh anywhere, he walked over to Ballistics to see if she was waiting for him there. Not finding her there either, he went back up to the receptionist. "Excuse me," he asked the woman behind the desk. "Do you know where Officer Duquesne is?" "She's upstairs with Lt. Caine." She answered. "Oh, that's just great." Ryan thought to himself. As he approached the stairs, he wondered what Calleigh and Horatio could be talking about. Who was he kidding, he thought to himself. Chances are they were talking about _him_. When he reached Horatio's office, the door was closed. Ryan thought for a second about turning around and just wait for Calleigh back downstairs. Then he heard laughter coming from inside the room. Calleigh's laughter. "The hell with it." Ryan muttered. He knocked on the door.**

**_to be continued_…**


	18. A Song For You

**A/N:"By Your Side" is a song I wrote a while back that I had put aside because I didn't know what to do with it. Given that I wrote it with Emily Procter in mind, I thought that it would be appropriate to use part of it in this chapter.**

**Roger **

**P.S. "By Your Side" is copyrighted. ©2004 The Final Step Forward/ASCAP**

**

* * *

CHAPTER 18**

**"It's open." Ryan opened the door to see Horatio sitting at his desk with Calleigh lying down on the sofa. Calleigh looked at Ryan and sat up. "Ryan! Come join us." She reached over and patted the sofa cushion next to her. Ryan shot a quick glance at Horatio, who was staring right at him. Ryan walked over and sat down next to Calleigh. "How did the briefing go?" She asked. "Just fine." Ryan answered. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?" "Heavens, no. Horatio and I were just talking." Calleigh said as she looked back over at Horatio. Ryan turned his head to talk at Horatio. "Is there anything else we need to do before we go?" "No, the two of you are done here." Horatio replied. "Go and enjoy the rest of the weekend." "Oh, we certainly intend to." Calleigh responded in a cheerful tone. Ryan frowned. As much as he respected the relationship between Calleigh and Horatio, Ryan didn't like the fact that Calleigh probably told Horatio things about him that he didn't want Horatio to know. He looked back at Calleigh. "Cal, are you ready to go?" "Yes, I am." Calleigh stood up and walked over to Horatio and placed her hand on his. "Thanks again for the talk, H." "You're quite welcome." Horatio said as he revealed a small smile. "Now get out if here before I assign you some work and make you stay the rest of the day." "Yes, sir." Calleigh playfully pretended to give a mock salute to Horatio, which caused Horatio to slightly chuckle. Ryan got up and walked over to the two of them. "Have a good weekend, H." "You too, Ryan." Horatio answered as reached for the phone. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to make a few phone calls before I leave myself." Ryan and Calleigh left Horatio's office and headed back downstairs. As they reached the front door of headquarters, Calleigh rubbed her stomach. "We need to stop somewhere and get a bite to eat. I'm famished." "I'm with you on that one. We didn't eat any breakfast." Ryan said as he heard his stomach growling. Calleigh turned to face him. "I wonder why." She whispered as she gave Ryan a quick kiss. Ryan grinned. "You want to stop by the deli?" Ryan opened the door and waited for Calleigh to walk through first. "Sounds great. How about instead of eating there, we take it back to your place?" Calleigh replied as she walked out into the parking lot. "That's perfectly fine with me, Cal." Ryan walked ahead of Calleigh to open up the car door for her. "You're such a perfect gentleman." Calleigh said to Ryan as she got in. "I can't help it. It's the way I was raised." Ryan shut her door and walked around to his side and got in. Calleigh leaned over at him. "There's nothing wrong with the way you were raised." She grabbed his chin to turn his face towards her and she gave him a kiss. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Ryan answered as he raised his hand up to touch her face. Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by the sound of Ryan's stomach growling again; this time very loudly. Calleigh looked down at his stomach and laughed. "I think your stomach is trying to tell us something." Ryan reached over to turn the ignition. "I think you're right." He pulled the car out onto the road and headed for the deli.**

**They soon arrived at Ryan's apartment. Calleigh had never been over before. In fact, she wasn't sure if anybody on the team had ever been over. A few times in the not so distant past, she was tempted to drive to his place to see where he lived. Mostly out of curiosity and the urge to confront Ryan about her feelings, but second thoughts would always get the best of her and she would change her mind. "You'll have to excuse the mess," Ryan said as he turned the key. "But I was expecting to be home last night to clean up the place." Calleigh grinned at his comment. The two walked into the kitchen, where Ryan immediately grabbed the pizza box and beer cans that were sitting on the table and threw them into the trash. As Ryan turned on his sink to quickly scrub the few dishes that he left sitting around, Calleigh placed her stuff down and stepped into his living room to take a look. It was a typical bachelor's pad: very spacious with only a small sofa, TV and a coffee table. Calleigh noticed a little bookshelf in the corner. She walked over to it and saw that the first shelf was full of biology and science books. She looked at the second shelf and it was nothing but sci-fi novels. "Geek." She thought to herself as she let out a little chuckle. Ryan walked up to her, holding her bag and dress. "Cal, where do you want me to put your things?" She turned to face him. "Your bedroom would be fine." They both walked down the hall to Ryan's bedroom. Calleigh immediately noticed a guitar sitting next to his computer. "Ryan, I didn't know you could play an instrument!" She gushed. "Well, it never came up at work and I don't play it enough to consider myself a virtuoso." Ryan answered as he opened his closet to hang up her dress and place the bag on the floor. "But I can bash out a few songs on it." Calleigh went to sit down on Ryan's bed. As she sat down, she instantly fell backwards into the center of the bed, not realizing that he had a waterbed. "Oh!" She cried out. Ryan turned around to look as she righted herself. "Sorry about that. I never mentioned that I had a waterbed, too." "That's ok, Ryan." Calleigh said as she reached out for Ryan to pull her up. As Ryan grabbed her hand, intending to pull her up, she purposely pulled him onto the bed. He fell in, landing on top of her. "Oops. My bad." Calleigh naughtily whispered into his ear. Her mouth quickly found his and they started to kiss passionately. The moment was broken when all of a sudden Calleigh's stomach let out an embarrassing growl. Ryan laughed. "I guess it's your stomach's turn." Calleigh's face turned a bright red. She looked at him. "I guess we better get up and eat before we can't hear ourselves over our stomachs. Will you take a raincheck?" She sighed. Ryan got back up and pulled her out of the bed. "Yes I will. And you can bet that I'll be collecting on it later." "I expect you to." Calleigh replied as she took his hand and headed out the bedroom door.**

**They walked back into the kitchen to eat their lunch. Calleigh reached into the bag to pull out the sandwiches while Ryan opened the refrigerator. "Cal, what would you like to drink? Milk? Soda? Water?" "Milk is fine." She answered. He grabbed the carton of milk and two glasses and brought them to the table. He poured her a glass and then one for himself. The two of them sat down and started to eat their meal. "So, you got our reservation at Lombardi's?" Calleigh asked as she wiped her mouth. Ryan smiled. "Gee, Cal…how do you know I called Lombardi's?" "Because you know that I'm a 'child of habit' about certain things." Calleigh replied. "Well, I thought that we could use a change this time." Ryan said as he reached for his glass of milk. "To my luck, McDonalds now takes dinner reservations." "What!" Calleigh threw her napkin at Ryan. He ducked, laughing. "Relax, Cal. I'm kidding. Yes, I got the reservation for 10:30 tonight." "10:30?" Calleigh was curious about the time. "Why did you schedule it that late?" "I scheduled it that late so we can do something else first." Ryan intentionally looked away from Calleigh, hoping that the gesture would make her ask where they were going. It worked. "What are we doing before dinner?" "What are we doing?" Ryan looked back at her. "I'm taking you dancing tonight." Calleigh had a quizzical look on her face for a brief moment, then her eyes got wide. "Ryan! I thought you didn't like dancing." "Where did you hear that from?" Ryan asked. "Eric." She answered. "Oh, it figures that you heard it form Eric." Ryan picked up his sandwich to take another bite. "He always seems to leak out any information I give him about my personal life. Let me guess…he told you about the rest of the date I had with his girlfriend's roommate and how well I danced with her." "He told me a few days ago." Calleigh admitted in a somewhat guilty tone. Ryan snapped his fingers. "There you go. Well, did he tell you that I don't consider that dancing?" Ryan looked at Calleigh as she shook her head. "Well, I'm taking you somewhere tonight that I consider dancing." "Wow." Calleigh paused, and then spoke again. "Any other secrets you've been hiding from me?" "No secrets at all." Replied Ryan as he took another bite of his sandwich. "I just don't reveal a lot about myself unless I'm directly asked." **

**They finished their meal and walked back into the bedroom. Calleigh climbed back onto the bed as Ryan reached for his guitar. "Would you like me to play you something?" He asked as he got on the bed. "I would love that, Ryan." Calleigh moved over to give Ryan some room. He sat down and played a few songs that he knew as Calleigh laid on one side of her body, leaning on her elbow. As Ryan finished the last song, she sat up. "You're very good. Do you write any songs of your own?" "Well, I have something that I've been working on for some time now," Ryan spoke in a somewhat nervous voice. "I'm not quite finished with it." Calleigh moved closer to Ryan. "Will you play it for me?" "But it's uh, not done yet." Ryan said as he started to stammer. Calleigh reached up and stroked his cheek. "I want to hear it. It's ok." Ryan let out a little sigh. "Don't say that I didn't warn you." He strummed the chords as he slowly closed his eyes. Calleigh wasn't sure if he closed them because he was trying to remember how the song went or if he was too nervous to look at her. He started to sing:**

_**Her hair is golden like the sun**_

_**And her eyes as blue as the sky**_

_**There's nothing that I wouldn't give**_

_**To taste those lips of wine**_

****

_**I've studied every curve of her body**_

_**Every line upon her face**_

_**I want to take her into my existence**_

_**Her soul I want to embrace**_

****

_**I find myself so empty**_

_**When she's not around**_

_**It throws off my happiness**_

_**And it turns my world upside-down**_

****

_**And when she is next to me**_

_**Words can't describe what I feel inside**_

_**All I need is one smile from her**_

_**To make me feel so alive**_

_**I want her so badly**_

_**To be a part of my life**_

_**I want to reach out and pull her close to me**_

_**And have her by my side**_

**Ryan opened his eyes and stopped playing. "That's about all I have so far." He looked over at Calleigh. "Cal?" Calleigh sat there quietly, with tears in her eyes. "The song is that bad, huh?" Ryan said as he set the guitar down. "No," Calleigh finally spoke as she wiped the tears away. "That was very beautiful." Ryan moved over to be closer to Calleigh. "Are you sure? The song is not done and the words are kind of corny." "The words are not corny." Calleigh shot back. "You wrote the song about me, didn't you?" Ryan looked away. "Yes, yes I did." He replied in a hushed tone, as if he was embarrassed to answer Calleigh's question. She reached over and turned his head to make him look at her. "Do you know why I'm crying? I'm crying because that touched me. You actually love me enough to put what you feel into a song. It means a lot to me that you would do something like that." Ryan raised his hand and wiped away a stray tear that she missed. Calleigh leaned forward and gave him a deep kiss. "There's something that I feel I need to tell you," Calleigh said as she looked down at the bed. "For the longest time, when I would sleep at night, I would have these horrible nightmares that something is chasing me. I can't explain what it is. I'm always running away from it, hoping it wouldn't get me. I think it had something to do with being alone for so long and not having anybody to love. I always wanted to love again, but I always doubted myself and lived in fear of being once again hurt. Sometimes I felt so sad because I was alone and not having anybody to give my love to that…" Calleigh couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She started to cry. Ryan immediately reached over and pulled her next to him. "It's ok." He whispered. "I know exactly how you feel." Ryan brushed her hair away from her face. "But we have each other now and I have no intention of letting you go." "I hope not." Calleigh answered. Ryan looked at the clock. "We have a few hours left before we have to leave. Do you want to do anything?" "I just want to lay here with you." Calleigh said as she looked up at him. "Just hold me."**

**The two of them laid there quietly in each other arms without saying another word to each other.**

_**to be continued...**_


	19. At The Dance

**CHAPTER 19**

**Ryan opened his eyes. He quickly realized that he was asleep with Calleigh in his bedroom. He looked down at Calleigh who was sleeping herself, still wrapped in his arms. "What time is it?" He thought to himself as he lifted his head to look at the clock. The time read 6:23 p.m. "Oh my God, It's almost 6:30." Ryan spoke out loud to no one in particular as he removed his arms from Calleigh, which caused her to stir. "What are you doing…put your arms back around me." Calleigh mumbled, still half-asleep. "Cal, wake up." Ryan said as he shook her. "It's 6:30. We need to get ready." "6:30?" Answered Calleigh, who was now fully awake. "We were asleep for _that_ long?" "I guess we were." Ryan replied as he sat up and climbed out of the bed. "I didn't think I-we were going to fall asleep. We need to get going. At this time of the night, it's going to take us almost an hour to get-" Ryan stopped in mid-sentence, not wanting to reveal where he was going to take Calleigh to. "Get where, Ryan?" Calleigh was curious at what Ryan was going to say. "I told you, it's a secret." Ryan said as he walked over to the closet to take a look at what kind of dress Calleigh brought, hoping it would be an appropriate one. Lifting the protective covering off, he let out a little gasp: Calleigh had brought a black dress that was similar to the one she wore on their first date except this one was strapless. He couldn't wait to see it on her. "This dress will do just fine." He thought to himself as he slid the cover back on. **

**Suddenly, he felt Calleigh's presence behind him. He turned around to see her standing there wearing nothing but a pair of underwear. She had undressed as he was looking at her dress. He couldn't help but stand there and stare. Calleigh gave off a little smile, knowing that he was taking in her image. "Ryan, I can't get dressed if you're just going to stand there and not hand me my dress." "Oh, um sorry." Ryan muttered under his breath as he realized that he was still holding her dress. He handed it to her. "Thank you." Calleigh said as she took the dress. "Can you also hand me my bag?" "Sure." Ryan answered as he reached down into the closet to grab it. Calleigh lifted herself to give Ryan a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll be in the bathroom getting ready." As she walked out of the bedroom, Ryan opened up the other side of his closet to grab the tuxedo that he had hanging behind his work clothes. He never wore it much; he never really had any reason or occasion to wear it. He took off his clothes and threw them into the hamper. After he got dressed, he went back into the closet and pulled out a pair of black dress shoes. He took a look into the mirror. Feeling satisfied with the way everything looked, he grabbed his suit coat off the back of the chair and headed towards the bathroom. He poked his head inside the bathroom doorway. "Everything ok in here?" He asked Calleigh. "Everything's just fine." She replied as she started putting on her makeup. "I should be ready in about 20 minutes." "Ok," Ryan answered. "I'll be in the living room if you need me." Ryan walked into his living room and sat down, looking through the magazine that he left sitting on the coffee table.**

**About 30 minutes later, Calleigh walked into the living room. "I'm ready to go." Calleigh said as she looked over to where Ryan was sitting. "Oh, my!" Calleigh squealed as she saw the way Ryan was dressed. She thought he was sexy enough in the suit he wore at their first date, but now the tuxedo he had on seemed to make him more desirable. Calleigh quickly bit her lower lip to stop the rush of naughty thoughts that were invading her brain. Ryan stood up and walked over to her. "Wow," Ryan exclaimed as he looked at Calleigh from head to toe. "You look absolutely breathtaking." "Thank you," Calleigh replied. "You're looking very breathtaking yourself." "In this?" Ryan said as he gestured at his tux. "I didn't think tuxedos were very breathtaking. They're sort of geeky." "Well, Ryan…Your own geekiness causes the geek-like look of the tux to cancel each others geekiness out, leaving a very hot guy." Calleigh could not keep a straight face at her comment and started to laugh. Ryan pretended to recoil in shock over her words. "Ryan! I was kidding about the geek comment." Calleigh reached up with her hand to pull Ryan down to kiss him. "I know you were." He answered as he kissed her. She playfully tugged at his bowtie. "Is this a clip-on?" She joked. "Enough." Ryan chuckled. Calleigh pulled out a kleenex and wiped her lipstick off of Ryan's lips. "You better hold on to this." Calleigh said as she placed the kleenex into his hand. "I'm sure we're going to need it again very soon." Ryan folded up the kleenex and placed it in his pants pocket. "Let's go."**

**Calleigh didn't recognize the area of Miami that she was being driven through. Occasionally, she would look over at Ryan, who was looking at a piece of paper every few minutes as he drove. Thankfully, traffic wasn't as bad as they both thought it was going to be and after a half-hour of driving, Ryan pulled into the parking lot of his destination and drove up to the curb. A man approached the car. "Shall I take your car, sir?" He asked Ryan. "Yes, please." Ryan responded as he turned to Calleigh. "Are you ready?" "Where are we, Ryan?" Calleigh looked at Ryan with a mix of bewilderment and curiosity on her face. "I'll show you in a brief moment." Ryan answered as he got out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Calleigh. He reached in and took her hand as Calleigh stepped out. The valet took Ryan's car as the two of them stepped onto the sidewalk and headed for the front door. As they approached, the doorman reached out and opened the door for them. "Sir, Madam." The doorman said as Ryan and Calleigh walked by. "Good evening." Ryan spoke back at the doorman. They walked down a hallway towards the sound of music playing. Calleigh couldn't make out what kind of music it was, but she could tell it wasn't modern. Ryan placed his arm around Calleigh's waist as they walked into the main room. Calleigh gasped at what her eyes could see: Ryan had taken the two of them to a ballroom that had a full orchestra playing as couples danced across the floor. "Ryan!" Calleigh said, somewhat stunned. "I didn't think we would be coming here to dance!" "Are you surprised?" Ryan asked as he let go of her waist. "Yes, I am." Replied Calleigh. "I didn't know that this was your kind of dancing. I'm very impressed." **

**The orchestra finished playing their current song and started up a new one. "I was hoping that you would like my taste in dancing." Ryan said as he reached down and took Calleigh's hand into his. "Shall we take the floor?" He looked at Calleigh as she nodded her head. He leaned down. "I hope you know how to do the waltz." He whispered into her ear. "I sure do." She answered. They walked out into the dance floor. Ryan lifted his and Calleigh's hand up to shoulder level as he placed his other hand into the small of her back. Calleigh wrapped her other hand around his waist as they slowly moved to the music. They danced to the waltz that the band played. Calleigh couldn't believe how good of a dancer Ryan was. She never knew about this side of him. The fact that this was another secret that he shared with her only made her fall more deeply in love with him. The band started up another song. As they moved around the dance floor, Calleigh looked up at Ryan. He smiled at her as he mouthed the words "I love you." She grinned, her eyes giving off that certain gleam that he always loved to see. Calleigh laid her head against his chest as they kept dancing. Suddenly, Ryan pulled back slightly. "What's wrong?" Calleigh wasn't sure why Ryan moved away from her. "Nothing's wrong." Ryan leaned forward slightly. "I'm going to dip you." He tilted her back over his arm as he held onto her. As she was coming back up, he quickly kissed her on the neck. The action caused Calleigh to swoon slightly. It was not lost on Ryan. "A little weak in the knees?" He said half-joking. "Mmm-hmm." Was Calleigh's reply. They danced a few more songs before they decided to take a break and sit down.**

**Calleigh looked at Ryan. "Where on earth did you learn all of those dances?" "I took dancing classes in high school," Replied Ryan as he motioned for a waiter to come over. "However, I never really had the chance to use them unless I was at a wedding." Calleigh laughed. "Well Ryan, you're one up on me. The only way I learned how to dance was by going to weddings and learning the dances there. I stepped on quite a few toes over the years trying to get them right." "You might want to add a few more toes to that list." Ryan grimaced as he reached down to rub his feet, pretending that he was in pain. Calleigh playfully shoved him as he laughed. Calleigh moved a little closer to Ryan. "So tell me…what interested you into learning to dance like this?" Ryan thought the question over for a moment. "I, um thought that knowing how to dance would impress women." Ryan admitted sheepishly as he looked down at the table. Calleigh reached up and turned Ryan's face towards her. "Well, it worked." She said as she leaned in to kiss him. The waiter finally came over to their table. "Would the two of you like something to drink?" "I would like a glass of red wine, please." Calleigh said. "And you sir?" The waiter looked at Ryan. "I would also like a glass of red wine." The waiter left and they returned to their conversation. "So how did you find out about this place? Have you been here before?" Calleigh asked. "No, I haven't been here before." Ryan answered. "I found out about this place through Eric. His friend works here." "That was nice of Eric." Calleigh replied. "He may be a little distant at times, but he'll be there for you if you need him." **

**The waiter came back over with their drinks. "I can't help but feel awkward around Eric, Cal." Ryan reached for his wallet to pay for the wine. "Sometimes, I think he blames me for being Speed's replacement." "Ryan, I wouldn't take it personally. He would have acted that way towards _anybody_ who replaced Tim. He's making an effort to be nice to you. He did set you up on that date with his girlfriend's roommate." Calleigh picked up her wine to take a sip. "Yeah, but look how that turned out." Ryan replied in a flat monotone. Calleigh placed her glass down and stared at Ryan. "Ryan, look how it _did_ turn out." Calleigh reached over and placed her hand on Ryan's forearm. Ryan understood what Calleigh was getting at and smiled at her. They sat there and drank their glass of wine while they continued to talk, occasionally giving each other a quick kiss. Ryan looked at his watch. "We better get going if we want to make our dinner reservation." The orchestra started playing a slow number. "One more dance before we go?" Calleigh pleaded. "But of course." Ryan answered as he got up and slowly extended his hand out to Calleigh to take her back to the dance floor. They danced in a tight embrace, their arms around each other. Ryan rested his head on her shoulder as they slowly shuffled around to the music. As the song ended, he moved his head over to kiss Calleigh, who warmly responded to the touch of his lips. Without a word to each other, they walked off the dance floor. Hand in hand, they left the ballroom and headed towards the valet station to pick up the car.**

**_to be continued_...**


	20. Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine

**A/N: This is the final chapter. I would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout the writing of this story and encouraged me to write a sequel when I had no intention to. I don't know when I'll get around to writing the sequel, but it will come around one of these days. Whether if you enjoyed or suffered reading these 20 chapters, I appreciate you sticking around. **

**Until we meet again. _Roger walks off into the darkness_.**

**Roger **

**Once again, I must let you know that this chapter gets an NC-17 rating for content.

* * *

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**CHAPTER 20**

**Traffic on the way to Lombardi's was heavier than it was on the way to the ballroom and Ryan and Calleigh just barely made it to their reservation time. The waiter took them to their seats by the bay window. Ryan pulled out Calleigh's seat to let her sit down first then excused himself for a moment to use the restroom. Calleigh waited until Ryan was out of earshot before talking to the waiter. "Say, can you bring me a small plate of spaghetti before we order our meals?" "Yes, I can." The waiter said as he handed Calleigh her menu. "How soon would you like it?" "Can you wait about 10 minutes before bringing it out?" Calleigh asked. "Yes I will." The waiter replied as he left. "Thank you." Calleigh placed her menu down and walked over to Ryan's side of the table. She picked up his chair and moved it over to her side, pushing her chair over enough so there would be enough room for the both of them. She sat back down and waited for Ryan to come back. As Ryan came out of the restroom and walked back, he looked at Calleigh who was smiling back at him. Then he noticed that his chair was now next to her. "Nice seating arrangement." He spoke in a low voice to Calleigh as he sat down. Calleigh reached out with her hand and grabbed his. "I want you to sit next to me. Is that ok with you?" "It's ok with me." Ryan answered as he leaned in to kiss Calleigh. "I love being close to you." As they kissed, Ryan gently gripped the back of Calleigh's neck with his hand. Suddenly, he could feel someone standing next to him. He broke away from the kiss to turn and see the waiter standing there. "Oh, sorry." Ryan exclaimed; feeling a little flustered. The waiter held out the wine list. "Excuse me, sir. Would the two of you like something to drink?" **

**Ryan looked at Calleigh. "Do you want me to get your usual?" Calleigh nodded at him. Ryan turned back to the waiter. "We don't need to see the list. We would like a bottle of red wine. Can you also get me a cherry coke, please?" "Very good, sir." The waiter answered. "I will bring it out with your wine." The waiter turned to leave. Calleigh chuckled as he left. "What's so funny?" Ryan asked Calleigh. "You better let me drive us home tonight, Ryan. We both know what happens when you get too many cherry cokes in you." Calleigh teased Ryan as she winked at him. "Hey, you know what happens when I drink too much wine." Ryan replied as he took off his suit coat and hung it over the back of his chair. Calleigh rested her hand on Ryan's forearm. "But, Ryan…If you don't get drunk, how am I going to take advantage of you later?" Calleigh batted her eyelashes. Ryan let out a snicker. "Cal, all you need to do to take advantage of me is to just show up. I'm pretty much like putty in your hands at that point." He smiled as she laughed at his remark. The waiter came back with the plate of spaghetti. "Here is your spaghetti, ma'am." The waiter placed the spaghetti down between Calleigh and Ryan. "Your drinks will be out here shortly." "Thank you." Responded Calleigh, as Ryan gave her a quizzed look. "What's the spaghetti for?" He asked her. "I want to try something that I always wanted to do since I was a child." She said. "Don't laugh." "Why would I laugh?" Ryan wasn't sure at what she was getting at. Calleigh looked at him. "Have you ever seen the movie 'Lady and the Tramp'?" "I did when I was a child." Ryan answered. Suddenly, he looked down at the plate of spaghetti, then back up at Calleigh. "Oh." Ryan slowly let out as he watched a smile spread across Calleigh's face. "You're serious about doing this, aren't you." "Please, Ryan. I always wanted to try this once. It's a fantasy of mine." Calleigh put on a look of "puppy dog eyes" that Ryan couldn't resist. "How can I say no to that beautiful face of yours?" Ryan said as he reached for a fork. **

**Ryan tried a few times with the fork to pull out a strand of spaghetti long enough to reach between Calleigh and himself, but each time, the noodle would break. Calleigh chuckled under her breath watching the man she loved grow more and more frustrated trying to pull out a complete noodle from the plate. Finally, Ryan placed his fork down and reached into the pile with his hand and pulled out a whole noodle. Calleigh reached over and grabbed one end and placed it in her mouth. Ryan quickly looked around to see if anybody was watching them; hoping that no one was. He moved closer to Calleigh and placed his end in his mouth and looked at her. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other. As they started to eat the noodle, Calleigh advanced faster than Ryan and the noodle broke. "Let's try this again." Calleigh said with a slight snicker. Ryan rolled his eyes and reached for another noodle. This time, they both approached each other at the same pace and their lips finally met. Calleigh squirmed with happiness: she had finally achieved a fantasy that she held onto for so many years. She didn't care if anyone, even Ryan, thought it was childish. This is what she wanted. Ryan moved his head away from Calleigh's. "What did you think?" He asked. Calleigh grinned. "That was wonderful. Thank you." She answered. Ryan looked over to an elderly couple a few tables away who were looking right back at him. He realized that they were watching the whole time. They smiled at him. He slightly nodded his head at them, wondering if the couple would be him and Calleigh 50 years from now. He smiled to himself over the thought. The waiter came back with the wine and Ryan's cherry coke. Ryan and Calleigh composed themselves and ordered their meal. **

**On the drive back to Ryan's place, Calleigh could not keep her hands to herself. She kept running one hand up and down Ryan's leg while the other one stroked his hair. Suddenly, she leaned over and gently nibbled at Ryan's earlobe. "Calleigh!" Ryan half-shouted, trying to pay attention to the road. "You're going to cause me to lose control of the car." Calleigh leaned back into her seat. "Sorry. But you are so cute right now that I couldn't resist." Ryan blushed at her comment. He was thankful that it was too dark for Calleigh to see his face tuning red. He couldn't believe how easy she made him blush. Ryan pulled the car into his parking spot at the apartment and they both got out. As Ryan opened the door to his apartment, Calleigh reached down and rubbed her hand on his crotch, causing him to slightly jump by surprise. "I hope you're ready to collect on that raincheck." She whispered seductively. Ryan quickly slammed the door shut behind them. "I'm more than ready. God, you turn me on so much." He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, bringing her mouth to his. He kissed her long and hard. He loved kissing her. He never felt more complete in his life than when his lips were against hers. After setting Calleigh back down, he took by the hand and led her into the bedroom. Reaching the bedroom, he removed his suit coat and tossed it onto the chair. He turned around to face Calleigh. "Now, what can we do about removing that dress." Calleigh smiled and turned her back to Ryan. She lifted up her hair to let him reach up and unzip her dress. She let the dress fall down to her feet. She turned back around. "Is that better?" She asked as she started to unbutton his pants. "Definitely." Ryan started to remove his tie and his shirt. **

**Within a minute or so, they were both fully undressed and Ryan was moving the both of them towards his bed. Calleigh released herself from his embrace to get onto the bed. She laid there for a few seconds, leaving Ryan standing there by her side. He looked her over. She raised her finger up and crooked it at him. Ryan grinned and climbed onto the bed and joined her. He wasted no time putting his mouth on hers as he ran his hand down the side of her ribcage, sending chills throughout her body. He moved his hand onto her vagina, gently rubbing it with his fingers as he continued to kiss her. Calleigh's eyes rolled back into her head in ecstasy, her body thrusting towards his hand. Soon, Ryan could feel his fingers getting wet. He looked into Calleigh's eyes. She nodded her head, indicating that she was ready for him. Without any words, he centered himself between her legs and slid his penis into her. She bit her lower lip, then released a heavy sigh and relaxed her body as Ryan started stroking himself inside of her. Ryan kept a steady rhythm, occasionally breathing hard. He slowly stopped to roll over onto his back. He reached over and pulled her on top of him. Calleigh grabbed his penis and put him back inside of her. She leaned forward to allow him to do all the thrusting while she kissed him passionately. With one final thrust he came in her; releasing all his energy in an act of love. Calleigh kissed his forehead before laying back and setting her head down on his chest. "This has been the best weekend of my life." She finally said after a brief moment of silence. Ryan placed his hand on her hair and slowly stroked it. "I would have to agree with you." He murmured. Calleigh lifted her head up towards Ryan and looked at him. "Do you think it will always be this good?" "Why do you think that?" Ryan suddenly was concerned about her question. Calleigh continued. "I don't know, Ryan. I never seem to have things go my way romantically. This is the first time I ever felt complete and open with somebody. I don't want it to end. I don't know what I would do if it did." **

**Without a word, Ryan slowly reached down and pulled her back up to allow her lips to reach his. He kissed her. "You'll never have to worry about it. I will be by your side until you get sick of me. And even then I won't let you go Calleigh. I love you." Calleigh let out a little laugh before kissing him again. They held each other in a tight embrace before sleep came along and took the both of them.**

**As they slept, Calleigh dreamed again. Instead of feeling something dark chasing after her, she found herself in a field of flowers. She looked around confused, not sure of what was going on. She suddenly heard someone calling her name. It was Ryan. Looking up, she saw him standing about 30 feet away, reaching out to her. Without a thought, Calleigh ran towards him, laughing into his arms. He hugged her before lifting her up to kiss her passionately. If Ryan was awake at that point, he might have seen Calleigh smiling in her sleep. Instead he stayed asleep, holding her in his arms. In the quietness of the room you could hear their hearts beating together in unison; creating a sound of a third heart that could only be made from the hearts of two soulmates beating together as one. **

**Three hearts in the happy ending machine.**

_**Fin.**_


End file.
